Customer feedback gained by Chery engineers visiting the brand’s dealer network is used to inspire the development of its cars, its UK boss has said.
Farrell Hsu is managing director at Chery UK, overseeing the Chinese group’s operations here under its own brand name, with the group also selling cars in the UK under the Omoda and Jaecoo brands, and also from later this year under the Lepas brand.
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Speaking at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) International Automotive Summit, discussing the question of whether vehicle technology drives customer demand, or customer demand drives technology, Hsu explained: “We are an engineering company, and we try to develop new technologies all the time. But at the same time, we also need to respect the customer’s experience.
“This is why I asked all of my team, in the UK, to visit the dealers, to talk to the customers, to see what their feedback is.
“Then you will know ‘OK, that is what our real customers need’ and we can improve our technology accordingly.”
Technology ‘more important than price’ for Chery customers
Despite Chery’s models being attractively priced relative to competitors, Hsu said that he thought the brand’s technology was more important than the price of its vehicles in attracting customers.
He said: “Price is one thing; more important is technology. Our conversion rate from test drives to owners is more than 50%, because the customers, when they test drive the car, they like the features, the touch of the interior, everything.”
Hsu was also asked at the summit about Chery’s views on EV demand now and in the future, and in response explained why Chery group (the Chery brand itself is yet to launch a pure EV in the UK) takes a multi-powertrain approach.
He said: “I think electrified vehicles will be the future, but the problem is how long will it take to happen? Will it be in one year, or in 10 years, or in 100 years?
“But, definitely, we think that electrification is the trend. And what we do as Chery group is we try our best to provide all the products on the shelf. We have multiple powertrains, including electric vehicles and also Super Hybrid systems and combustion engines.
“So, we provide everything, to meet the demands of the customers. But we get prepared for the future.”
The Chery brand currently has a four-model line-up in the UK, all SUVs, with the Tiggo 4 (pictured) recently joining the Tiggo 7, Tiggo 8 and Tiggo 9.