How Chery is making its cars better suited to Australian roads
Automotive proving grounds are mysterious places. They're usually hidden in far-flung pockets away from prying eyes to keep the next generation of four-wheeled innovations shrouded in secrecy.
But not today. Our proving ground is surrounded by chicken shops rather than chicken wire fences. And we're in plain view of the general public on a test loop through the streets of Sydney. There is no hiding here.
Then again, there's not much to hide, and certainly no need for a disguise, as we're riding shotgun in a Chery Tiggo 7 plug-in hybrid that looks remarkably like the standard petrol-powered version of the mid-size SUV – save for a few cosmetic details and badges on the outside, and a large red emergency shut-off button on the dashboard – that has been on sale locally since late last year.
Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. 2025 Chery Tiggo 7 PHEV Credit: CarExpert
Ahead of the local release of the Tiggo 7 PHEV in the next couple of months, we joined Chery Australia CEO Lucas Harris during the final phase of validating the local calibration for its comprehensive suite of Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS), which includes automated emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance and other key safety functions.
Mr Harris is part of group of executives and expert technicians at Chery – both locally and internationally – that test and tune the automaker's vehicles to suit Australia's unique consumer demands and road conditions.
Chery isn't alone in doing this sort of local vehicle development work. In fact, almost every automotive brand in Australia has some form of checks and balances process prior to vehicles being delivered to showrooms to make sure they function properly on local roads. Chery Australia COO Lucas Harris Credit: CarExpert
For some, it's little more than a box-ticking exercise, extending to tweaking minor vehicle features like radio tuning, while others go to enormous lengths – and considerable capital investment – to tailor the driving character of their vehicles especially for Australia.
Mr Harris admits that Chery learned an early lesson that it needed to do more than just the basics, especially with the calibration of its active safety systems which were heavily criticised by pundits – including CarExpert – in models such as the Omoda 5 small SUV when it relaunched the brand here in 2023.
'We've copped a fair amount of, shall we say, constructive criticism about our systems, which I think has all been quite fair,' he says. Chery Tiggo 7 PHEV ADAS hardware Credit: CarExpert
'Every now and then it's a bit exaggerated, but that's how the world goes around. I like the criticism though, because it makes it really easy for us to identify what we need to work on next and where we need to improve. So, most of our effort to date has been around how that ADAS system operates.'
ADAS systems are a complex array of unique functions that are intended to improve the safe operation of a vehicle. But some are more annoying in how they intervene, forcing drivers to switch off many of the functions, which is clearly counterproductive to their purpose.
They are all linked to an array of cameras and sensors positioned around the vehicle, providing it with a binary view of its surrounding environment. It's therefore all in the computer coding and algorithms of how that information is used – along with the physical inputs of the driver through the steering, throttle and brakes – as to how effective the functions are. And, importantly, how natural they feel to the driver. Supplied Credit: CarExpert
Interestingly for us today, the Tiggo 7 PHEV features Chery's next-generation ADAS hardware and software suite, and will be the first model to make it available to Australian consumers.
Mr Harris says the reason Chery is investing in fine-tuning its ADAS calibration for Australia is, quite simply, the huge variation of road conditions we have in this country.
'On our drive loop today, which is only about one and a half hours long, just note how many different types of roads we are driving on, not just the surface and condition of the tarmac, but also the lane widths and markings,' he says as we trundle along the narrow three-lane Silverwater Road in heavy traffic. Supplied Credit: CarExpert
'Some roads are beautiful, and others are simply dreadful. Some have hard kerbs on the edge, some have grass verges with lines, and some have no lane markings on the edge at all. That's just here in Sydney's suburbs, let alone the variation around the country.
'Compare that to the roads in China, which are very consistent, and that's why it is important for us to get our cars right for the market here.
'I don't think Australian consumer expectations are unreasonable; it is just that we have a much wider mix of scenarios in which they use the vehicle.' Supplied Credit: CarExpert
Mr Harris says a typical tuning program like this takes around 12 months 'depending on how rough the starting position is' and begins with initial feedback from the validation group after driving an early pre-production vehicle.
From there, the team will debate the outcomes, which he said 'can get quite exciting sometimes', to form a collective opinion which is then relayed back to the engineering team in China to develop corrective measures.
Every new software change is scrutinised again over the exact same drive loop and any further refinements are fed back to the engineering team in China. The team will do this over and over until they are satisfied the system operates as expected.
'The benefits we're seeing from this are huge, because all the learnings accumulate,' said Mr Harris. Supplied Credit: CarExpert
'We might spend 40 to 50,000 kilometres on this particular car, but that doesn't mean the hundreds of thousands of kilometres we've done before have gone to waste, because the data is relevant to improving the ADAS in all our models.
'Essentially, each time we do this, we're improving tenfold. And the Tiggo 7 PHEV is easily the best car we have launched yet – and not just because it has the latest hardware in it.'
It's impossible to judge from the passenger seat if Mr Harris is right and how effective the changes are. But even as he and I hold an uninterrupted hour-long conversation with many hand gestures and plenty of finger pointing from the driver's seat, there is a conspicuous absence of binging-and-bonging from the driver monitoring system. And no sudden sideways jerks from the lane keeping assistance system, other than when provoked it to demonstrate how smooth it is. Supplied Credit: CarExpert
Mr Harris says the team has played particular attention to the latter system, and developed some unique solutions to help it intervene more naturally. He showcases this by moving into the inside lane on Lane Cove Road and driving closely, but parallel, to the roadside kerbing.
'Here, we've got three very narrow lanes and sometimes you'll be driving with very little distance between the left-hand wheels and the kerb. That's just the way it is,' he says.
'It's a 70km/h speed limit and it goes up and over crests and around corners. It's a difficult road for the system to determine. Before, it would have tried to steer away from the kerb just because of a pre-set distance, even if you were driving consistently. But now, we've re-set the parameters according to the width of the lane. Supplied Credit: CarExpert
'On a narrow lane like this, the system will be supressed fractionally so it doesn't feel hyperactive, while it will act differently on a wider country road for example.
'I think we've found a sweet spot where you will not get unnecessary or unrequired activations.'
The proof will be in the pudding when we get behind the wheel of the Chery Tiggo 7 PHEV to assess the improvements for ourselves in the next month or so.
Until then, keep an eye on the traffic around you because the car in the next lane might just be doing something more important that getting point A to B.
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Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Externally, changes are limited to a new grille that apes the larger XC90, as well as new alloy wheel designs and darkened LED tail lights. Buyers will also have the options of new Forest Lake, Aurora Silver and Mulberry Red paint finishes. Inside is a larger 11.2-inch freestanding central touchscreen running the brand's latest software interface and supporting new online-supported functionality, apps and over-the-air updates. Volvo says pixel density has been upped by 21 per cent over the old screen, "resulting in an even crisper display". The company adds the new infotainment unit with Google built-in is more than twice as fast as the outgoing model thanks to its new Snapdragon Cockpit Platform processing from Qualcomm Technologies, while graphics performance is said to be 10 times faster. Volvo has already applied this new-generation infotainment display to the larger XC90 as well as its new range of EX-badged electric vehicles, while older models will be able to get the look and feel of the new interface via an OTA update later this year – for vehicles built as early as 2020 onwards. Other changes include new available interior decors, inlays and new upholsteries like Quilted Nordico. Volvo says there are also new cupholders and an improved wireless phone charger design for added convenience. Under the skin, the brand claims the new XC60 is even more comfortable and quiet than before by way of undisclosed improvements – no doubt extra sound deadening and a retuned chassis. Adaptive air suspension remains available depending on variant. B5-badged models carryover the previous model's 183kW/350Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with mild-hybrid tech; while the T8 Plug-in Hybrid gets a more powerful 233kW/400Nm petrol engine with 48V e-boost assistance teamed with a 107kW/309Nm electric motor on the rear axle. As before, all models in Australia are all-wheel drive – XC60 B5s get mechanical AWD while T8s have a rear e-axle – and feature an eight-speed automatic transmission as standard. While a full specification breakdown is still to be confirmed, Volvo Car Australia says the refreshed XC60 gets an "exhaustive list of standard features", including: All versions of the 2026 Volvo XC60 are on sale now. The outgoing MY25 XC60 Ultra B5 Bright has been replaced by the Ultra B5 Dark. Otherwise, the 2026 lineup is nigh on identical to before. MORE: Explore the Volvo XC60 showroom Content originally sourced from: The facelifted 2026 Volvo XC60 SUV range has been priced for Australia, headlined by refreshed looks and the brand's latest infotainment interface. As before the local XC60 lineup will be a four-strong affair, starting with the Plus B5 Bright (from $74,990 before on-road costs) and topping out with the Ultra T8 Plug-in Hybrid Dark (from $101,990). Compared to the outgoing range, prices are up by between $600 and $1900 depending on variant. These rises are, however, claimed to be offset by the introduction of fresh tech and new cabin materials. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Externally, changes are limited to a new grille that apes the larger XC90, as well as new alloy wheel designs and darkened LED tail lights. Buyers will also have the options of new Forest Lake, Aurora Silver and Mulberry Red paint finishes. Inside is a larger 11.2-inch freestanding central touchscreen running the brand's latest software interface and supporting new online-supported functionality, apps and over-the-air updates. Volvo says pixel density has been upped by 21 per cent over the old screen, "resulting in an even crisper display". The company adds the new infotainment unit with Google built-in is more than twice as fast as the outgoing model thanks to its new Snapdragon Cockpit Platform processing from Qualcomm Technologies, while graphics performance is said to be 10 times faster. Volvo has already applied this new-generation infotainment display to the larger XC90 as well as its new range of EX-badged electric vehicles, while older models will be able to get the look and feel of the new interface via an OTA update later this year – for vehicles built as early as 2020 onwards. Other changes include new available interior decors, inlays and new upholsteries like Quilted Nordico. Volvo says there are also new cupholders and an improved wireless phone charger design for added convenience. Under the skin, the brand claims the new XC60 is even more comfortable and quiet than before by way of undisclosed improvements – no doubt extra sound deadening and a retuned chassis. Adaptive air suspension remains available depending on variant. B5-badged models carryover the previous model's 183kW/350Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with mild-hybrid tech; while the T8 Plug-in Hybrid gets a more powerful 233kW/400Nm petrol engine with 48V e-boost assistance teamed with a 107kW/309Nm electric motor on the rear axle. As before, all models in Australia are all-wheel drive – XC60 B5s get mechanical AWD while T8s have a rear e-axle – and feature an eight-speed automatic transmission as standard. While a full specification breakdown is still to be confirmed, Volvo Car Australia says the refreshed XC60 gets an "exhaustive list of standard features", including: All versions of the 2026 Volvo XC60 are on sale now. The outgoing MY25 XC60 Ultra B5 Bright has been replaced by the Ultra B5 Dark. Otherwise, the 2026 lineup is nigh on identical to before. MORE: Explore the Volvo XC60 showroom Content originally sourced from: The facelifted 2026 Volvo XC60 SUV range has been priced for Australia, headlined by refreshed looks and the brand's latest infotainment interface. As before the local XC60 lineup will be a four-strong affair, starting with the Plus B5 Bright (from $74,990 before on-road costs) and topping out with the Ultra T8 Plug-in Hybrid Dark (from $101,990). Compared to the outgoing range, prices are up by between $600 and $1900 depending on variant. These rises are, however, claimed to be offset by the introduction of fresh tech and new cabin materials. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Externally, changes are limited to a new grille that apes the larger XC90, as well as new alloy wheel designs and darkened LED tail lights. Buyers will also have the options of new Forest Lake, Aurora Silver and Mulberry Red paint finishes. Inside is a larger 11.2-inch freestanding central touchscreen running the brand's latest software interface and supporting new online-supported functionality, apps and over-the-air updates. Volvo says pixel density has been upped by 21 per cent over the old screen, "resulting in an even crisper display". The company adds the new infotainment unit with Google built-in is more than twice as fast as the outgoing model thanks to its new Snapdragon Cockpit Platform processing from Qualcomm Technologies, while graphics performance is said to be 10 times faster. Volvo has already applied this new-generation infotainment display to the larger XC90 as well as its new range of EX-badged electric vehicles, while older models will be able to get the look and feel of the new interface via an OTA update later this year – for vehicles built as early as 2020 onwards. Other changes include new available interior decors, inlays and new upholsteries like Quilted Nordico. Volvo says there are also new cupholders and an improved wireless phone charger design for added convenience. Under the skin, the brand claims the new XC60 is even more comfortable and quiet than before by way of undisclosed improvements – no doubt extra sound deadening and a retuned chassis. Adaptive air suspension remains available depending on variant. B5-badged models carryover the previous model's 183kW/350Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with mild-hybrid tech; while the T8 Plug-in Hybrid gets a more powerful 233kW/400Nm petrol engine with 48V e-boost assistance teamed with a 107kW/309Nm electric motor on the rear axle. As before, all models in Australia are all-wheel drive – XC60 B5s get mechanical AWD while T8s have a rear e-axle – and feature an eight-speed automatic transmission as standard. While a full specification breakdown is still to be confirmed, Volvo Car Australia says the refreshed XC60 gets an "exhaustive list of standard features", including: All versions of the 2026 Volvo XC60 are on sale now. The outgoing MY25 XC60 Ultra B5 Bright has been replaced by the Ultra B5 Dark. Otherwise, the 2026 lineup is nigh on identical to before. MORE: Explore the Volvo XC60 showroom Content originally sourced from:
