Chinese Automaker Chirey to Arrive in Mexico

Chinese automaker Chirey, also popularly known as Chery, announced its arrival to Mexico where it will offer three to-be-announced SUVs that have already been shipped to the country.

These three SUVs will be used to carry out market research in Mexico, said Chirey, which will then increase its offering to five models based on the preferences of the Mexican market. A Facebook post showing a preview of the models suggests that the Tiggo 8, Tiggo 7, Tiggo 4 and Tiggo 2 are the SUVs under consideration.

The Tiggo 8 has seats for up to eight passengers and a 1.5 Turbo engine of up to 145 hp. However, the Tiggo 2 might end up being the most popular in the country due to its more affordable price and size, which have already made it one of the automaker’s most popular models worldwide.

Chirey opened a Facebook group for Mexican consumers to discuss their thoughts on EV, possibly hinting that the company is considering bringing its EQ1 battery compact. The global presence of electric and hybrid models is only expected to continue increasing as over the next decade, an estimated 80 percent of global lithium production will be used for the manufacturing of EV and PHEV batteries.

However, the future of EV in Mexico remains uncertain. The market is expected to have around 9 million EVs in circulation by 2035 based on increasing sales throughout the last couple of years and a national commitment to limit CO2 emissions. However, the overwhelming lack of charging stations—a mere 2,100 compared to the US’s 42,500—makes the future of environmentally friendlier vehicles in the country highly uncertain.

Chirey is present in 80 other markets including Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Peru. The auto manufacturer has 10 factories outside of China and research and development centers in Germany, the US and Brazil with a global team in R&D alone of 5,500. Chirey is a state-owned enterprise headquartered in Wuhu, China.

Auto sales in Mexico barely saw a recovery from a disastrous 2020, which ended with a mere 6.8 increase in annual sales largely due to the semiconductor shortage. Additional challenges, such as President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s controversial “chocolate” car decree, are expected to impact sales throughout 2022.