Set to be sold under a different name, the KP31 will debut locally in 2027.
Australia’s Chery KP31’s bakkie will be called the Stockman. Picture: Chery Australia
Reported last month as being in-line for a considerable power hike, Chery’s Australian division has now confirmed final power and torque figures for its version of the KP31 bakkie.
Shark hunting
Going on-sale Down Under in the final quarter of this year, the KP31 will carry the Stockman moniker and retain the plug-in hybrid 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine announced at the beginning of the year.
As per the supposed uncovering of blueprints by carnewschina.com in June, though, the Stockman will no longer produce the previously believed 210kW/650Nm.
Instead, Chery has confirmed that the outputs mentioned by the Chinese publication will be applied, meaning the Stockman will produce 350kW/800Nm, making more powerful than the BYD Shark by 29kW/50Nm.
Details about the number of the electric motors, transmission and battery pack size are still unknown; however, the claimed all-electric range is said to be around 100 km.
Dimensions
According to carsales.com.au, the Stockman has the following dimensions:
- Length: 5 450 mm;
- Wheelbase: 3 250 mm;
- Width: 2 010 mm;
- Height: 1 890 mm
In addition, Chery Australia also confirmed a tow rating of 3 500 kg and a ground clearance of 247 mm. The claimed payload is still reported to be 1 000 kg depending on the variant.
Inside
Known as the P3X in China, where it sold under the Rely brand similar to the R08 – previously called Himla – no details about the Stockman’s interior was disclosed.
However, previously released images of the Chinese market P3X show a design similar to its main rival, the BYD Shark, as well as certain models from the latter’s Denza models.
Set to feature is a 15.6-inch infotainment display, heated, ventilated and massaging electric front seats, a panoramic glass roof, rear and centre locking differential and a surround-view camera system.
Coming in 2027, but not yet production ready
Set to arrive in South Africa next, along with sister brand Jetour’s F700, the Stockman/KP31 will be marketed under a different name, which Chery executives confirmed in April had already been selected but withheld from being made public.
Although reported as being one of the models that will be assembled at the now officially Chery-owned plant in Rosslyn, Chery Executive Vice-President, Zhang Guibing, said there is no hurry to present it as a core model for local assembly.
“We will start to introduce different pick-ups in South Africa from next year and definitely consider producing the most popular model here,” he said.
“We can’t build all of them here. But when one model is big enough in terms of numbers, it will make local manufacturing more economical”.
Tiggo Cross first
Initially, the former Nissan-owned facility will produce the Jaecoo J5, the Jetour T1 and T2 and the Tiggo Cross, the latter newly confirmed as being the first model that will depart from the plant in the second half of 2027 in both combustion and hybrid forms.
More later
Despite small differences, the Stockman will still provide the official preview for the eventual South African-market KP31, and as such, expect more details to become apparent in the run-up to the Australian debut soon.
