Mitsubishi's former Chinese joint venture eyes RHD markets, could include Australia
You may never have heard of Soueast, but the Chinese car company is expanding its global presence – and Australia could be in its sights.
The brand was established in 1995 as a joint venture between China Motor Corporation, Fujian Motor Industry Group and Mitsubishi Motors, before it was acquired by Chery in 2024.
The company that once built Mitsubishis could therefore be coming to compete with the Japanese brand in our market – including by offering a ute.
Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now.
Since being acquired by Chery, it has focused on left-hand drive markets with petrol-powered SUVs and sedans, along with plug-in hybrids. This year, it'll add Mexico to its list of global markets.
Across 2026 and 2027, it plans to expand into right-hand drive markets 'while achieving a balance between fuel, hybrid and electric models'.
While it didn't specify Australia in its announcement, this market is already teeming with Chinese brands eager to demonstrate success in a competitive, well developed Western market like ours.
From 2028 to 2030 it aims to '[complete] the industrialisation of new energy vehicles' and says it will prioritise pure EVs for Europe.
'We're not just entering markets — we're deeply embedding ourselves within them and earning a seat at the table,' said Dai Lihong, vice president of Chery and president of Soueast.
The company says it operates six overseas R&D hubs across 'high-potential' markets, including the Middle East, ASEAN and Brazil.
Work conducted in the Middle East has involved optimising heat resistance of vehicle components and the effectiveness of Soueast models' air-conditioning.
Soueast also operates plants across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and South America that assemble vehicles from knocked-down kits.
It says it intends to have two global models targeting the B-SUV segment, three 'premium' C-SUV models, and B- and C-segment sedans.
In Chinese segmentation, B-segment vehicles are mid-sizers while C-segment vehicles are large.
Soueast also says it intends to launch a ute by 2030, but hasn't offered any more details on the vehicle.
The brand currently offers a range of SUVs – the S06, S07 and S09 – in markets like the UAE.
The S06 measures 4616mm long, 1910mm wide and 1690mm tall on a 2720mm wheelbase, making it effectively the same size as a Toyota RAV4.
It offers a choice of turbocharged 1.5- and 1.6-litre petrol engines, mated with either six- or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions.
Soueast's Super Hybrid plug-in hybrid (PHEV) technology – offered in the S06 – features a 150kW electric motor, a 19.4kWh battery, and a 1.5-litre engine.
Total system outputs are 265kW of power and 530Nm of torque, with electric range of 114km on the NEDC cycle and over 1000km of combined range.
The S07 is larger, measuring 4724mm long, 1900mm wide and 1720mm tall on a 2720mm wheelbase.
However, it sticks with a choice of turbo-petrol 1.5- or 1.6-litre engines. Interestingly, the former is offered with a six-speed manual as well, while the latter can be had with either a seven-speed dual-clutch or an eight-speed torque-converter auto.
The S09 is the flagship, measuring 4858mm long, 1925mm wide and 1780mm tall on a 2850mm wheelbase.
That makes it 43mm longer, 25mm wider and 80mm taller than a Kia Sorento on a 35mm longer wheelbase.
It's offered with a choice of five- or seven-seat configurations, and either 1.6-litre or 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engines – the latter pumping out 187kW of power and 390Nm of torque.
Mitsubishi sold off its share in Soueast back in 2021, but prior to this the Chinese joint venture brand produced vehicles like the Lancer, Galant/380, Delica, and Nimbus.
During the 2010s, it also rolled out a range of vehicles that were styled by Pininfarina but which used Mitsubishi technology, though after several years of declining sales it was acquired by Chery.
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Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Going back 10-15 years ago, the choices were far fewer and the options more obvious, but when it comes to buying a new car in 2025, there have never been more competitors to choose from. Australia is the most competitive new car market in the Western world. We have a completely open market when it comes to car companies entering and selling their vehicles here. There are few tariffs and not many hurdles, and given you can cover roughly 80 per cent of Australia's population by setting up dealers in a handful of major cities, the barrier to entry is very low and the potential profits very high. This has seen an explosion of new brands over the last 10 years, and there are dozens and dozens more still to come. As such, we decided to institute a simple award system – called CarExpert Choice – based on categories that make sense. 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6 hours ago
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The channel is shallow, making it a particular target for underwater mining, while the narrowness of the strait makes passing vessels vulnerable to attack from shore-based missiles or interception by patrol boats or helicopters. 'Iran would most likely pursue a multi-layered asymmetric strategy rather than attempting an outright naval blockade,' Gregg Roman, Executive Director of the Middle East Forum told The Post. 'Their primary approach would involve rapidly deploying naval mines across the shipping lanes—this is their most effective tool for immediate disruption. They'd simultaneously launch anti-ship missiles from mobile coastal batteries like their Ghader and Nasir systems, targeting oil tankers from distances up to [185 miles].' Iran has no legal authority to block sea traffic through Hormuz, and any attempts by its navy to bar entry to the strait would likely be met by a strong response. Ships with the US Fifth Fleet, along with other Western navies, are patrolling the area at all times. It is bordered by Iran to the north and Oman and the United Arab Emirates to the south. The bulk of all oil exported by the regional petro giants, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, all travel through this narrow waterway. Asia is likely to bear the brunt most from any closures to the waterway, with China, India, Japan and South Korea all getting most of their oil imports through the strait. China, the world's biggest buyer of Iranian oil and a critical partner that has previously used its veto power at the UN Security Council to block sanctions or resolutions against Tehran, would be particularly affected by any closure. The move would also hit Iran's own economy. 'Any closure attempt would be temporary and ultimately self-destructive. Iran depends on the strait for its own vital imports and knows that such action would trigger an overwhelming response from the US 5th Fleet, which maintains detailed operational plans for exactly this scenario,' Roman said. 'It would amount to economic suicide while alienating China, their primary oil customer. Tehran understands this calculus, which is why the threat remains more valuable as leverage than as an actual course of action.' Iran last disrupted traffic in the Persian Gulf in April last year when it seized an Israel-linked container ship near the Strait of Hormuz, accusing the MSC Aries of violating maritime regulations. In April 2023, Iran seized a US-bound tanker, claiming the ship had struck another vessel. And in May 2022, two Greek tankers were held for six months in what was widely seen as retaliation to the confiscation of Iranian oil on a different ship by Greek and US authorities. In previous years, the Houthi militia in Yemen was able to successfully disrupt traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait leading into the Red Sea on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula. Using the firing of missiles and drones, the Houthis were able to cut ship traffic through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden some 70% in June compared with the average levels in 2022 and 2023, according to Clarkson Research Services Ltd, a unit of the world's largest shipbroker. Vessel operators have been forced instead to reroute traffic around the southern tip of Africa instead of using the Suez Canal, making journeys for ships traveling between Europe and Asia vastly more expensive and much longer. Iran's Navy was likely to employ the same tactics previously used by the Houthis, along with cyber attacks and other sabotage operations, Roman added. 'The IRGC Navy would execute their proven 'swarm' tactics, using hundreds of small, fast boats armed with missiles and explosives to overwhelm defenses,' he said. 'We'd also see extensive use of suicide drones and explosive-laden unmanned boats, tactics they've perfected through their Houthi proxies in the Red Sea. 'Iran would likely pursue several additional avenues: cyber attacks on port infrastructure and shipping navigation systems, activation of regional proxies to create multiple crisis points and stretch U.S. forces, sabotage operations against Saudi and UAE oil facilities, and potentially targeting Gulf states' desalination plants to pressure them against supporting American operations,' he added. Originally published as Iran orders closure of Strait of Hormuz - putting one-fifth of world's oil supply at risk
