Gasgoo Munich-Chery Group's first-half 2026 export numbers are in. June alone saw 191,062 vehicles shipped overseas — a 79.7% jump from a year earlier — marking the fourth straight month the automaker has broken the single-month export record for a Chinese brand, a streak stretching back to March. First-half exports totaled 943,817 units, up 71.5% year on year. That breaks down to one Chery vehicle heading abroad every 17 seconds.
Image credit: Chery Group
Behind the record volumes, Chery spent the first half pushing a "systematic global expansion" strategy, extending its footprint across operations, R&D, manufacturing, and standards. A European operations center is now up and running in Spain, overseeing local market operations and regulatory compliance. Meanwhile, the automaker has based its commercial vehicle headquarters for the region in Liverpool, UK.
On the R&D front, a research institute in Spain — focused on electrification and smart mobility — opened alongside the operations center, rounding out Chery’s "1+7+N" global innovation network. In manufacturing, the Rosslyn plant in South Africa officially resumed operations following its July 3 acquisition. The facility retained all 692 original employees and supports nearly 3,000 supply-chain jobs, with local sourcing already underway.
The market momentum is unmistakable. Chery sold 138,843 vehicles in Europe between January and May, a 216.69% surge from a year ago. In the UK, the brand has claimed the second spot across all automakers for three consecutive months. It cracked the top five in Australia in May, and sits at number two in South Africa for the first five months of the year.
Several models are driving the overseas push. Monthly sales of the TIGGO 7 have crossed the 30,000 mark globally, while the TIGGO 4 topped the charts in South Africa and broke into Australia's monthly top 10. The JAECOO 7, for its part, clinched the top spot on the UK's monthly sales chart, and the JETOUR T2 took home South Africa's overall Car of the Year award.
New-energy vehicle exports are accelerating even faster, jumping 164.9% in the first half. In Europe, Chery sold 68,949 NEVs from January through May — a 458.62% year-on-year surge — meaning one in every two Chery vehicles sold on the continent is now an NEV.
In commercial vehicles, Chery's June exports climbed 146%, while its robotics unit has sold over 1,000 units globally this year, reaching more than 50 markets. As of the end of June, the automaker's global customer base had surpassed 19.88 million — with over 6.78 million of those owners overseas.
