iCaur V25: Chery's boxy new electrified off-roader spied in Australia

Chery is launching yet another brand in Australia, and its first model for our market has been spied testing here ahead of its local debut.

The iCaur V25 will make its in-person debut in Australia at Everything Electric Sydney, which is being held over September 18-20, but just weeks before it makes its local public debut it's been spied at a charging station in Goulburn, New South Wales.

Images shared to the Facebook group Electric Vehicles for Australia shows a V25 in a sedate silver finish, unlike the lurid orange paint seen in the press photos accompanying iCaur's release announcement this week.

Registration data shows this is an evaluation vehicle with a tare weight of 2120kg.

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The mid-size SUV made its global debut at this week's Chengdu motor show in China as the fourth model from the iCaur brand, known in China as iCar.

iCaur is due to be launched here early in 2027, though thus far the brand has confirmed only the V25 for our market, with pricing and specifications to be announced closer to launch.

While its styling is reminiscent of rugged, body-on-frame off-roaders, it features car-like unibody construction.

Chinese-market specifications confirm it uses an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) powertrain, with a 115kW turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine serving as a generator to recharge the 33.68kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery rather than driving the wheels directly.

A pair of electric motors instead send drive to all four wheels, with the V25 boasting total system outputs of 335kW.

It's claimed to offer electric range of over 210km – understood to be measured on the more generous CLTC or WLTC cycle – and a total combined range of over 1200km.

It measures 4636mm long, 1920mm wide and 1855mm tall on a 2820mm wheelbase, making it 36mm longer and 65mm wider than the Toyota RAV4 on a 130mm longer wheelbase. Boot space is 378 litres, expanding to 998L; both the first and second rows of seats are claimed to be able to fold flat, and there are 41 storage spaces in the cabin.

Described as an “expressive new energy brand” – 'new energy' being a Chinese term referring to electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), and EREVs – iCaur is said to offer “a fresh proposition to Australia’s rapidly growing SUV market”.

It differs from existing Chery brands such as Chery, Omoda Jaecoo and Lepas (the latter due here this year) by offering vehicles with extremely boxy, rectilinear styling.