Updated 10 November 2026 with Chery’s published weights, battery size and the new delivery date.
Every plug-in hybrid ute on sale in Australia runs a petrol engine, and every one of them gets thirsty the moment the battery goes flat with a trailer behind it. Chery looked at that problem and fitted a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel instead.
The Stockman, known as KP31 until a public naming contest, was first shown in China in late 2025 and went on display at Everything Electric in Sydney from 18 to 20 September. The headline is 350kW. The story is the fuel it burns once the battery is flat.
Why a diesel plug-in ute makes sense once the battery is flat
A plug-in ute lives two lives. For the first 96km, Chery’s WLTP claim, it is an electric vehicle. After that it is whatever engine sits under the bonnet, dragging up to 3.5 tonnes of trailer. The Stockman’s answer is a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel in a hybrid system claiming 350kW and 800Nm.
The rivals all chose petrol. BYD’s Shark 6 uses a 1.5-litre turbo (a 2.0-litre in the new Performance), Ford’s Ranger PHEV a 2.3-litre EcoBoost, GWM’s Cannon Alpha PHEV a 2.0-litre turbo. Small petrol fours pulling a big van at highway speed drink.
Carsales’ May 2025 tow test of the Shark 6 recorded 17.4L/100km with a 2,400kg trailer attached. The official figure is 2.0L/100km. That is the flat-battery problem in one number, and why the Chinese ute wave has so far skipped the serious caravan crowd.
Chery says the system is 10 per cent more efficient than a conventional diesel. That is a manufacturer number, and the Stockman’s own 1.1L/100km combined figure will evaporate just as fast with a van on.
But a diesel under sustained load is the right tool. Chery executive director of engineering Peter Matkin told CarsGuide in February that “it’s easier to do the gasoline version.” Chery did the hard one.
Stockman towing: about 270kg of payload at full tow
Braked towing is 3,495kg and unbraked 750kg, per Chery Australia’s Stockman page. Since this story was first published, the weights have come out too. CarExpert reported a 2,735kg kerb weight, a 3,500kg GVM and a 6,500kg GCM, with a 34kWh battery under the tub.
Do the sums and the Stockman carries 765kg unhitched. Hook up the full 3,495kg and the GCM leaves about 270kg for people, gear and ball weight. Two adults and a full 80-litre tank would use most of that. Chery calls its figures indicative, so they could still move before launch.
The Ranger PHEV shows how tight that is. CarsGuide’s November 2025 GVM test of the XLT PHEV put payload at 553kg when towing the full 3,500kg, against a 973kg rating. The 6,580kg GCM runs out first.
The Cannon Alpha PHEV is tighter than the Ford. Its 2,812kg kerb weight and 6,745kg GCM leave 433kg for people, gear and ball weight at maximum tow. Hybrid hardware is heavy, and on the published numbers the Stockman is tighter than both.
Chery lists front, centre and rear diff locks and a low-range mode. That points to a Cannon Alpha-style mechanical driveline, not the Shark 6’s motor-per-axle layout. All that hardware is where the weight comes from. If you plan to tow anywhere near the limit, work out your own payload before you hand over a deposit.
One caveat on the range figure. An early 100km claim was on NEDC, the lenient old cycle. The current figure is 96km on WLTP. Given how far real-world figures drift from the sticker, plan your electric commuting around something shorter than the brochure number.
What the Stockman means for Aussie ute buyers
If you tow a 2.5-tonne-plus caravan regularly and want a plug-in, this is the first one worth waiting for. If you are an urban tradie who hooks up a box trailer twice a year, it is not: a petrol Shark 6 does that job for less money, today.
How much will the Chery Stockman cost?
Chery has not announced pricing. Reservations opened on 1 October with a refundable $1,000 deposit, and Chery is offering a $2,000 Bunnings gift card and three years of free servicing on orders placed by 30 November, CarExpert reported. The competitive set is clear as of September 2026: the Shark 6 lists from $57,900 before on-roads, with the 3,500kg-rated Performance at $62,900. Ford’s Ranger PHEV runs from $59,000 to $70,000 drive-away after May’s price cuts, and the Cannon Alpha PHEV sits around $64,490 drive-away.
Chery Australia COO Lucas Harris has said the brand “wouldn’t bring a ute to the market if our intention wasn’t to compete with the top players.” Expect pricing against that set, not under it. The seven-year unlimited-kilometre warranty and eight-year battery cover are where Chery will argue value.
When does the Chery Stockman arrive in Australia?
Later than planned. Chery had targeted the fourth quarter of 2026, but customer deliveries are now due from 1 February 2027, a date its product chief repeated to CarExpert on 22 October. A 2.0-litre petrol plug-in follows in the second half of 2027. Chery had around 1,000 deposits and more than 5,000 expressions of interest by July, before a price existed. The first pre-production ute was registered for testing in NSW the same month.
Premcar, the Melbourne outfit behind Nissan’s Warrior models, was appointed in August to validate ride and handling. Its CEO Bernie Quinn says Chery “has gone the extra mile” with the Stockman. Plenty of Chinese utes have landed needing a second go at the ride tune. That is money well spent.
Chery has picked the hard version of the plug-in ute and brought it to the one market that will punish it if the weights come up short. The 350kW will sell the test drives. The 6,500kg GCM will decide who can tow with one.
