Chery Executive Defends Extended Vehicle Development Timelines

Chery Auto's Executive Vice President Li Xueyong has defended the company's longer vehicle development cycles, responding to public criticism that Chery is slow in its car manufacturing. The remarks were made during the launch event for the company's new all-electric SUV, the Fengyun T7.

Li Xueyong stated that the Fengyun T7 underwent two years of planning and three years of research and development, resulting in a four-year total development period. He acknowledged this deviates from the faster industry trend but stressed that automobiles are not fast-moving consumer goods. According to him, cars must meet the safety requirements of millions of families and withstand various global conditions.

The executive detailed that time cannot be cut corners in three critical areas: research and development, where products require meticulous refinement; testing, where reliability must be validated in real-world scenarios; and global co-creation with users, which involves listening to diverse market feedback.

Li Xueyong asserted that the Fengyun T7 is not late but rather being built with the time necessary for a standard, quality vehicle. He also noted that other automotive executives from companies like Geely, XPeng, and Voyah have recently commented on the issue of "rapidly developed cars," highlighting their own thorough development and testing processes.