Gasgoo Munich- In May 2026, Chery Group reported strong results. Sales reached approximately 248,000 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 20.5%. Exports totaled 182,000 units, up 80.5%. This marked the third consecutive month the company has broken the monthly export record for a Chinese automaker. NEV sales exceeded 100,000 units again, reaching 100,300 units, up 58.8% year-on-year.
Image source: Chery (same below)
From January to May, Chery Group sold 1.101 million vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 7.2%. Exports totaled 753,000 units, up 69.5%. NEV sales reached 362,000 units, up 25.7%. Chery Automobile Co. Ltd. (9973.HK), listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, reported May sales of 232,000 units, up 20.7%. Its five-month total reached 1.034 million units, up 7.5%. Performance aligns with the broader group trend.
NEV Sales Top 100,000 for Second Month as Economies of Scale Take Hold
Chery Group is entering a phase of stable volume expansion in the new energy sector. Monthly NEV sales exceeded 100,000 units in both April and May. The five-month total reached 362,000 units, indicating economies of scale are beginning to materialize.
Chery's NEV lineup covers a broad spectrum. The Chery brand targets the mass-market hybrid and pure electric sectors. Exeed is positioned as a mid-to-high-end brand. iCAR focuses on youth-oriented electric SUVs. The Luxeed series represents its collaboration with Huawei. This multi-brand strategy helps mitigate risks associated with fluctuations in single models.
Chery's NEV growth is not solely reliant on the domestic market. From January to April, Chery sold 107,000 vehicles in Europe. Of these, 53,600 were NEVs, a year-on-year increase of 570%. This indicates overseas acceptance of Chery's new energy products is accelerating, outpacing its overall growth rate.
Competition in the NEV sector is fierce. The price war continues, placing profit pressure on automakers. Whether Chery can improve its profit structure while expanding scale remains a key metric to watch. Currently, the company has cleared the threshold of 100,000 monthly sales for mass production.
Exports Exceed 100,000 for 13th Month as Europe Emerges as New Growth Engine
Exports remain a stronghold for Chery. Since the start of 2026, this advantage has widened. Exports exceeded 100,000 units for 13 consecutive months, breaking monthly records for the last three. Cumulative exports for the first five months reached 753,000 units. At this pace, a Chery vehicle is shipped overseas approximately every 17 seconds.
Notable is the breakthrough in Europe. From January to April, Chery sold 107,000 vehicles in the region, a year-on-year increase of 230%. In the UK, Chery ranked second among all brands in both March and April, surpassing local competitors such as BMW and Ford. Its Jaecoo 7 and Omoda 5 both ranked in the top ten for model sales. The Jaecoo 7 claimed the monthly top spot.
Chery attributes this success to its "In somewhere, For somewhere, Be somewhere" localization strategy. This involves adapting products and building channels to fit local needs upon market entry. The company has established a presence in 24 European countries, with sales and after-sales networks in place.
Europe's tightening regulations on carbon emissions and local production ratios pose challenges. Chery's future capacity layout and ability to control compliance costs in Europe will determine the sustainability of this growth. Currently, exports, particularly in Europe, remain a key business segment for Chery.
Beyond its automotive business, Chery's foray into embodied intelligence is yielding results, forming a third growth curve. Since the beginning of 2026, global sales of AiMOGA humanoid robots and robotic dogs surpassed 1,000 units. These products reached more than 50 countries and regions with over 100 deployment scenarios.
AiMOGA has launched several products, including the "Moyin" humanoid robot, wheeled patrol robots, care robots, and robotic dogs. The brand appeared at the World Brand Moganshan Conference in May and showcased these products at the 2026 World Intelligent Industry Expo in Tianjin, demonstrating its technological roadmap and commercial progress.
AiMOGA is the first Chinese humanoid robot brand to obtain dual EU certification for hardware and software. This means its products meet European market entry standards for safety and electromagnetic compatibility, providing a foundation for commercial deployment overseas. Currently, AiMOGA robots are in use in overseas automotive showrooms, international event services, and municipal management.
The robotics industry is in its infancy, with uncertainties surrounding market demand, technological maturity, and cost control. A sales volume of 1,000 units is a starting point for validating the business model. Whether it can achieve scaled replication across more scenarios remains to be seen.
Conclusion
Chery Group's performance in the first five months of 2026 reveals three growth trajectories: NEVs crossing the 100,000 monthly threshold, exports entering high-end markets like Europe, and the robotics business expanding from the lab to 50 countries. These areas are at different stages with distinct risk-reward profiles. They point to a trend: this traditional automaker is expanding from automobiles into the broader field of intelligent equipment. The extent to which these explorations will translate into sustained financial returns remains to be seen.
