Dealers and customers are the focus: Chery

CHERY says it is focusing on its customers and its dealers, and it wants to show its commitment to the market through actions rather than rapid expansion.

Speaking at the recent Tiggo 8 Pro Max launch, Chery Motor Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris said that keeping customers at the forefront of what the business is trying to achieve in the increasingly competitive Aussie market is crucial to ensure a solid growth trajectory.

With about a dozen new brands expected to arrive in the market in the coming 12 months – all from China – Chery clearly has its eyes on the rearview mirror and the road ahead to ensure it avoids being passed before the next apex.

Mr Harris said ongoing care and communication “is going to become more and more important to customers as they've got all these options”.

"It's not like they're going and buying a $500 cell phone and that if it breaks down and the support is not there, then it's only $500 – we're talking about a huge amount of money,” he said.

"If it breaks down, you want to support to be there, so I think that's a big focus for us and I think that's a big point of difference for us.

“How do we give people peace of mind that we're there with them every step of the way? [Say] they get a chip on the windscreen, and they've got to wait for six months to get a repair? That's ridiculous.

“So I think where our advantage will be is the level of investment that we're willing to put in, and the systems and processes that we put in to make sure that we can support dealers firstly, and customers when they have issues. That's a big difference.”

The brand currently has a strong dealership presence across Australia, with 70 showroom locations and service spots nationwide, described by Mr Harris as "coverage in every metro, provincial (and) major rural town”.

Although building out the network for future growth is an ongoing project, Mr Harris said Chery remains focused on looking after existing dealers.

“Our focus now is less about onboarding as many dealers as we can, and turning our attention more to how do we help those dealers become as proficient and efficient in operating their Chery franchise as they can,” he said.

“Ultimately that means more sustainable businesses for the dealers, and then better support for customers.

“We're spoilt for choice; we've got a lot of dealers knocking on the door of the brand, which gives us a lot of confidence and it makes us feel good, but I think our focus is more on what we are doing with our existing network at the moment?” Mr Harris said.

“For now we think that is certainly enough to service our current volume – and a bit more – which is what we want to do.

“It's good support for customers. If they're going away on holiday, there's likely a Chery dealer in the place where they're going.”

Could Chery up the ante and move to an even longer warranty plan? The current seven-year/unlimited-kilometre ownership cover is on par with brands such as SsangYong, Kia and Skoda, but despite the fact Mitsubishi has a 10-year conditional warranty (owners must service with authorised dealers to qualify), no other brand has yet jumped to a decade-long warranty.

“I think seven years right now is very competitive, and you know with average car ownership in Australia is around that seven-year mark, I think that currently that sort of meets the market,” said Mr Harris.

“Never say never. You know, if it came up that 10 years was the new benchmark, well then I'm pretty comfortable we would look at that very seriously.”

Chery has just launched its third model, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max seven-seater, which is the largest Chery yet to come to Australia.

It sits above the smaller and more affordable Tiggo 7 Pro, and the Omoda 5 coupe-style model opens the range – for now, at least.