We are witnesses of a great shift from standard internal combustion (ICE) models to electric cars (EV) in recent years. Especially in recent times when many Chinese companies started to grow exponentially and become very big players in this market.
This is the case because China is a very big market and people over there simply love these vehicles because they believe in sustainable transport.
Two of these very large players in the Chinese market are BYD and Chery. Both of these car manufacturers are making millions of cars and both manufacturers can offer a lot to the buyer.
So, we have to compare them. In this article, we will create a comprehensive comparison between these two companies in many aspects. These include innovation, performance, self-driving capabilities, models, and pricing.
So, let’s get started!
Technological Innovation
Technological innovation is basically the key area where a manufacturer has to deliver in order to be considered as a great company. Many of the highly rated companies are producing their components in-house instead of buying them from other manufacturers.
Let’s start with BYD and learn more about what BYD brings to the table when it comes to technological innovation?
BYD started its life as a battery manufacturer. This mother company then purchased a small car manufacturer from Norinco, China. Then they named this company BYD Auto.
So, the history of BYD Auto starts in 2003. Since then, this company has brought many models and until recently they primarily focused on the plug-in hybrids.
But since BYD has a very large battery manufacturing capacity, they also wanted to enter EV manufacturing. And BYD became really successful in this.
BYD makes all of the components in-house. These include the electric motor and the battery. Something that not many EV makers are able to do.
Their most recent invention is the Blade Battery. So, what is the Blade Battery? Well, this is a type of battery that is much different compared to other batteries on the market.
This is a type of battery where the cells are not installed into modules like in other EVs. But with the blade battery individual cells are installed into arrays.
This approach makes the Blade Battery a lot lighter, cheaper, and more energy dense compared to competitor batteries.
Chery on the other hand can be described as a legacy automaker. This company is state owned and primarily focused on ICE models.
Basically all of their engineering teams are specializing in this area. So, this company tries to outsource these components.
Chery has cooperation agreements with CATL, a very large battery manufacturer, as well as with NIO, when it comes to charging and battery swapping, as well as with Huawei for the Harmony OS operating system used in some of its models.
As you can see, Chery is cherry picking and chooses some of the best companies in the EV industry to work with.
Performance and Driving Experience
One of the main factors that make people buy a certain EV is the performance and driving experience that this vehicle delivers. Everyone these days is expecting a blazing fast acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h. So, how do these two brands perform in this area?
Well, when it comes to BYD, there is an offer for everybody. This brand predominantly focuses on delivering maximum driving comfort and great range. But they also deliver in terms of performance.
For example, the BYD Seal, BYD Han, and BYD Tang are probably the models that fit in both of these categories.
These vehicles offer comfort as well as performance. Just for reference, the BYD Seal AWD is able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. This is a massive performance.
But overall, BYD is primarily focused on comfort. This brand has some very high-end models that drive really well. We mentioned the BYD Han, this model is one of the best luxury EV full-size sedans on the market with high quality leather seats that will deliver some incredible driving experience.
On the other hand, the core Chery is not meant for performance or luxury. As an EV division, they have the Chery NEV.
The Chery NEV brand is primarily focused on mini EVs like the QQ Ice Cream. But they have one larger model. This model is the Chery eQ7.
This model delivers a thrilling experience and a decent acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 8 seconds.
If you really want a high-performance Chery, you will have to look under the Luxeed brand that is owned by Chery and Huawei. They offer the S7, a luxury sedan on the level of the BYD Han. This model has a massive acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in under 3.3 seconds!
Environmental Impact and Sustainability
When it comes to car production, as well as running these cars on the roads. The negative environmental impact that this whole industry creates is very big. This is why both BYD and Chery are working really hard to minimize this impact.
One of the main goals for both BYD and Chery is to achieve sustainability. So, what is sustainability?
Well, this means that these two companies are working very hard in reducing the carbon footprint when it comes to their production, as well as the carbon footprint of their vehicles on the roads.
For this purpose, both companies are using energy that is green. This means that for the production of their cars they use electricity that is gained from green sources like hydro, wind, and solar energy.
On top of that, these companies work with suppliers that have minimal footprint on the environment. BYD and Chery avoid dealing with companies that destroy the environment when it comes to digging for minerals and production of parts.
This way, they also affect the lower chains of production and make sure that the overall carbon footprint and the environmental impact is basically minimal.
Market Presence and Global Reach
What makes a car company so great is definitely the global presence and the reach that this company has across the whole world.
The more reach a company has, the more presence and more cars the company off-loads to the customer. And most importantly, offer plenty of services for their customers like maintenance, repairs, etc.
And we can tell you that both of these companies are very big players in the car world. BYD is now regarded as the largest EV manufacturer in the world, surpassing Tesla in recent times with 2.9 million cars sold.
Chery on the other hand is one of the largest legacy automakers in China with a yearly output of 1.8 million cars.
Both of these companies are selling their cars in millions. So, considering this, we can say that they are very big and powerful on a global scale.
For example, BYD is present in many markets across the world. These include China, Australia, India, the Middle East, the EU, Latin America, and Brazil. And BYD is constantly evolving and expanding its capacities.
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So, we can say that BYD’s ambitions are much higher compared to Chery. BYD has intentions of becoming a car manufacturer on the same level as Toyota or Volkswagen. They are not there yet, but they are working very hard.
On the other hand, Chery has an already established network in 80+ countries across the world. This company also has plenty of factories outside China.
These factories are located in Iran, Brazil, Russia, Malaysia, and Egypt. This is because Chery has a very strong presence in these countries.
What is also worth noting is that Chery has many brands. These brands include Chery, Chery NEV, Jetour, Exeed, Luxeed, iCar, and Karry. BYD has three brands, which include Denza, Yangwang and Fangchengbao.
Model Lineup and Innovation
Another highly important aspect that makes a car brand so great is the model lineup and innovation. A very good car brand has a very strong lineup and offer for everyone’s taste.
And we can tell you that both BYD and Chery have very strong lineups. But BYD is definitely having a stronger EV lineup than Chery.
This is the case because BYD is a brand that specializes in building EVs, while Chery is mainly focused on producing ICE models.
So, BYD has EVs across many different segments. In the subcompact segment, BYD offers the BYD Seagull and BYD Dolphin, then you have the compact BYD QIN, midsize BYD Seal, and full-size BYD Han.
BYD also has three SUV models, these include the BYD Atto 3, BYD Song Plus, and BYD Tang.
On the other hand, Chery has a few EVs. Most of their EVs are sold under the Chery NEV, iCar, Exeed, and Luxeed sub brands.
Some of the EVs that Chery and its sub brands offer include the following models: Chery Omoda 5 EV, Chery eQ7, Chery QQ Ice Cream, Chery eQ1, Chery Wuje Pro, iCar 03, iCar GT, Luxeed S7, and Exeed Sterra ES.
Autonomous Driving Capabilities
A key area these days where many automakers are focusing very hard in delivering is in terms of autonomous driving. Buyers are obsessed with self-driving cars and they expect that these cars will be self driving. But is this really the case?
Well, not quite. Although many vehicles are marketed as self-driving, this isn’t really the case. Since they only offer an autopilot for the highway.
This feature is known as adaptive cruise control. What this feature does is allow the driver to drive on the highway with minimal interference.
The car is basically adjusting the distance from other cars by itself. And this is what makes this feature very popular.
This feature offers Level 2 autonomy. Both Chery and BYD are offering such features in their models.
BYD is also working on its Level 3 autonomous system that allows more automation. But only time will tell what will happen in the near term when it comes to the autonomous driving capacities since this technology is constantly evolving day by day.
Pricing and Affordability
Pricing is practically the determining factor that makes or breaks a deal. The price has to be within your budget in order for you to go for a certain model. So, how do these two brands perform in this area?
Well, both BYD and Chery are affordable brands. They are not the most expensive brands that you will see on the roads.
In fact, these brands have some of the most affordable EVs on the roads right now. Let’s take an example with the Chery NEV QQ Ice Cream.
The QQ Ice Cream is one of the smallest EVs on the roads and this model starts as low as $4,100.
On the other hand, the cheapest EV by BYD is the BYD Seagull, this model starts at $10,000 in China.
Both of these are some very affordable models. In addition to this, if you want to get a compact crossover SUV, you have the BYD Atto 3 that starts at $19,000 and the Chery eQ7 which starts at $17,000.
Overall, both of these brands are very affordable.
Brand Image and Perception
The brand image and perception is very important when it comes to buying a car from a certain brand. People rely on the name and often this is the thing that sells the most cars.
When it comes to the brand identity, BYD is probably the name that is more well-known when it comes to electric cars.
BYD built its name around these vehicles and has created a real following. While Chery on the other hand is a fairly new brand when it comes to electric vehicles.
Chery is more well-known when it comes to standard internal combustion vehicles. So, it will be a challenge for Chery in order for buyers to know this brand for its EVs.
After-Sales Support and Maintenance
Another area that makes a car company great is the after sales support and maintenance that the company offers for the buyers.
What is good about both of these manufacturers is that they offer great support for their models in the markets where they are present.
Warranty is really good with both Chery and BYD. With BYD you have 8 years or 160,000 km warranty, and this is also the case with Chery where you get 7 years or 150,000 km.
Future Outlook and Industry Trends
What the future holds for BYD and Chery is unknown. Both of these companies are following the latest trends and implementing the latest tech. They are slowly but surely evolving.
One thing that is expected is for BYD to enter new markets and spread its presence across the world. BYD has a lot of potential and they will definitely use it.
When it comes to Chery, they are a very well established company that has a foothold in 80 countries globally.
But what Chery is lacking is the presence in the EV market. For this purpose, Chery is working on many new models that are expected to be released in the near future.
Conclusion
In this article, we made a comprehensive comparison of BYD and Chery in many key areas. Some of these areas included innovation, performance, model lineup, brand image, pricing, and market presence.
Overall, both BYD and Chery are great brands and offer plenty for the buyer. However, BYD has an edge over Chery when it comes to EVs.
BYD is building most of their technologies in-house, while Chery is outsourcing these technologies. BYD has a very big advantage over Chery when it comes to EVs.
But in general, both of these companies make some solid EVs that are worth your attention!
