Chery Automobile Releases 2026 Interim Results: Dual-Engine Drive Solidifies Profitability Foundation, Globalization Unlocks Growth Space

HONG KONG, August 21, 2026 - (ACN Newswire) - On August 20, Chery Automobile (9973.HK), a leading Chinese automaker, officially released its 2026 interim results report, marking its first interim results since listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Against the backdrop of intensifying competition in China’s domestic automotive market, sustained profit erosion from ongoing industry price wars, and a widespread phenomenon where automakers see revenue growth without corresponding profit growth, Chery has delivered a semi-annual report that demonstrates both scale resilience and earnings quality. Powered by its two growth engines, exports and new energy vehicles, the Company not only achieved steady scale expansion but also validated its long-term growth narrative with net profit margins that outperform peers and superior earnings quality, further underscoring its value in the capital markets.

Steady Improvement in Operational Quality, in Line with Institutional Expectations

Looking at the core operational data, Chery Automobile’s overall operational quality continued to improve steadily in the first half of the year, with its earnings structure particularly standing out. During the reporting period, the Company recorded revenue of approximately RMB 143,280 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 1.2%, fully demonstrating its robust capability to withstand cyclical industry pressures.

Profit for the period reached RMB 9,016 million, representing a year-on-year increase of -9.0%; gross profit margin improved to 16.1%, representing an increase of 3.1 percentage points from the same period last year; net profit margin for the period came in at 6.3%, significantly outperforming industry peers and reflecting superior earnings quality. The core drivers of this earnings improvement lie in the Company’s new energy vehicle (NEV) business transitioning from a “scale-first” approach to a “scale-profit balance” strategy, and the acceleration of its globalization strategy, which is evolving from “exporting products” to a “full-system going global” model. The concurrent improvement in both gross and net profit margins validates the combined effectiveness of the Company’s NEV transition, product structure iteration, refined operations, and overseas business structure optimization, with operational quality and efficiency continuing to trend upward.

The Company’s corporate strength has also been recognized by authoritative institutions. It made its debut on the Fortune Global 500 list as a listed company, securing the 383rd position. With a return on equity (ROE) of 36.5%, it ranked 30th globally on the ROE sub-ranking and first among all Chinese companies on the list. Its exceptional asset return capability, corroborated by net profit margins that outpace leading peers, underscores the Company’s outstanding profitability quality and capital return efficiency.

In response to the common industry challenge of “more revenue but less profit”, Chery Automobile has been enhancing profitability through product mix optimization and expansion of its overseas business, thereby steadily boosting its resilience against economic cycles.

Comparing the interim results with previous institutional forecasts, CICC had previously assigned Chery a target price of HK$35-40 and projected a full-year 2026 profit of approximately RMB20.2 billion. Based on the interim results delivered, the Company’s overall operations are broadly in line with institutional expectations, with overseas business performance significantly exceeding market projections.

While intensifying competition in the Chinese market has exerted certain pressures, overseas revenue has emerged as a key performance engine. The robust growth in exports and the NEV segment has effectively offset domestic uncertainties, validating the strategic approach of “consolidating the domestic base while seeking incremental growth overseas” and laying a solid foundation for achieving full-year targets.

Institutions generally believe that as economies of scale are further realized, overseas production capacity comes on stream, and new models ramp up volume, the Company's subsequent profit elasticity is expected to gradually materialize.

Dual engine Growth Driven by Exports and New Energy Businesses to Build Longterm Growth Momentum

Exports and new energy businesses constitute the dual engines underpinning Chery Automobile’s current round of performance growth. Together they create a dual-engine drive model of globalization coupled with accelerated NEV volume growth. In the first half of the year, Chery Group’s overseas business saw explosive growth, with cumulative exports hitting 943,800 units, representing a substantial yearonyear rise of 71.5%. Its leading edge in globalization has been further consolidated. Overseas revenue has grown robustly, becoming a key engine driving performance.

Moving beyond simple complete-vehicle exports, Chery Automobile has kept ramping up overseas resource investment to advance localized production, channel development and supply-chain deployment. Breaking away from the pure completevehicle export model, it is pursuing integrated overseas operations spanning research, manufacturing and sales.

As at the end of July, Chery Group’s cumulative global user base exceeded 20.16 million, of which overseas users totaled over 6.99 million. This sizable user base bears testament to its past overseas achievements and forms a solid foundation for the future realization of overseasmarket value, fully demonstrating the robust global manufacturing capabilities of Chinese automakers.

The new energy business also delivered highquality growth against headwinds, acting as the other pillar of its dual-engine drive model. In the first half of the year, Chery Group posted new energy sales of 475,200 units, up 32.3% yearonyear. Its monthly wholesale volume of new energy vehicles has surpassed 100,000 units for multiple consecutive months, ranking among the industry’s top three with robust growth momentum. New energy penetration keeps rising, reaching 62% for Chery Group’s domestic market in July.

To date, the Group has built a comprehensive product matrix covering the RMB50,000 to RMB500,000 price brackets. It has established presence across multiple market segments, ranging from compact city cars and rangeextended SUVs in the RMB200,000 price bracket to highend MPVs and offroad vehicles.

Beyond driving sales volume growth, the new energy business has fueled overall product structure iteration. It works in synergy with overseas operations to lift gross and net profit margins, acting as a critical lever for improved earnings quality and consolidating the foundation for full-year development.

Looking ahead, multiple catalysts are expected to further unlock Chery Automobile’s growth potential. On the new model cycle front, the first production model of the FREELANDER brand is set to commence deliveries shortly. Co-developed by Chery and Jaguar Land Rover as a global premium NEV brand, FREELANDER will be manufactured at the upgraded Changshu plant (Chery Jaguar Land Rover Changshu Manufacturing Base). Over the coming years, the brand plans to roll out a series of new models, targeting both the domestic Chinese market and overseas markets.

In parallel, key models such as the Luxeed RX are poised for launch and will be gradually introduced to the market, further enriching Chery’s premium NEV portfolio and opening up room for the brand to move upmarket.

On the overseas front, Chery Automobile continues to drive the unlocking of global production capacity. The construction and retrofitting of localized production facilities in multiple countries are steadily taking shape, as the Company continues to refine its global supply chain network.

As overseas production capacity gradually ramps up, the Company’s international operations will no longer rely solely on CBU (Completely Built Unit) exports from China. Instead, localized manufacturing will realize further economies of scale, which is expected to sustain a relatively high growth rate in overseas markets and continue to contribute incremental earnings.

Overall, the interim results for 2026 validate the effectiveness of Chery Automobile’s dual-engine growth model: “globalization coupled with accelerated NEV volume growth”, while simultaneously demonstrating a marked improvement in both earnings quality and the maturity of its global operations.

Although competition in China’s automotive market remains intense, and uncertainties persist on the geopolitical and currency fronts, Chery’s superior earnings quality relative to peers, its rapidly growing and structurally improving overseas business, and its steadily rising NEV segment, combined with the two major catalysts of a new model cycle and overseas capacity release, underpin a clear long-term growth thesis for the Company. The Company possesses substantial future growth potential, which makes it a compelling long-term investment opportunity for investors.