Key Takeaways
- The Stockman's chief engineer, Mark Qi, told carsales in China that the ute platform was designed with a large body-on-frame SUV in mind
- carsales frames it as a possible rival to the Everest, Prado and MU-X, with a plug-in hybrid diesel as a live option
- Qi asked "what's the brand, what's the price?" and wasn't sure the battery would leave room for a third row
- Nothing is confirmed for Australia: no name, price or date, and we haven't seen a Chery Australia statement
- This rests on one outlet's report, dated 23 October 2026
The Stockman ute, the vehicle an SUV would be based on. No SUV image exists. Chery labels its Stockman images as an overseas render of a pre-production vehicle. Image credit: Chery Australia
The Chery Stockman is the diesel plug-in hybrid ute Chery is bringing here in early 2027, and it may not stay a ute. carsales reports, in a story by Tom Baker on 23 October, that the engineer who led the ute's development says its platform was designed from the start to carry a big SUV too.
That's the whole story so far, and it's one outlet's interview. We haven't seen Chery Australia say anything about an SUV, and carsales' own report gives no name, price or launch date. So everything below is attributed to carsales or to the engineer it quotes.
What the Engineer Said, as Reported
| Item | As reported by carsales |
|---|---|
| Who said it | Mark Qi, Stockman chief engineer, speaking in China |
| What was said | The platform can underpin an SUV, as it was considered when it was designed |
| Engines the platform can take | Diesel plug-in hybrid, petrol plug-in hybrid, pure diesel |
| Third row | Qi "not sure yet" the battery would fit |
| Brand and price | Unresolved: "what's the brand, what's the price?" |
| Name, price, launch date | None announced |
In Qi's words to carsales: "Yes, the platform has the capability to also be the same platform [underneath] an SUV, just like the Fortuner, and the Everest." He added: "We've already done some jobs. When we designed the platform we already considered the SUV."
The "rival to the Everest, Prado and MU-X" line is carsales' framing of what such an SUV could take on. Qi's quoted comparison is to the Fortuner and Everest, which are also built on ute platforms.
What Would Have to Change
carsales lists the work a wagon would need on top of the ute: new bodywork and a longer glasshouse, a different rear cabin, a possible third row, enclosed luggage space and a rear axle set up for passengers rather than a load. It also notes the Australian ute uses heavy-duty leaf springs at the rear, while Chery's planned petrol plug-in hybrid version uses coil springs, which carsales reads as proof the architecture can take both.
The open question is packaging. carsales reports that when it asked whether the 34kWh battery behind the diesel plug-in hybrid would fit with coil-sprung rear suspension and a third seating row, Qi said he wasn't sure yet. carsales suggests one workaround, a five-seat plug-in hybrid with a bigger boot sold beside a seven-seat diesel with no plug-in hardware. That's the outlet's idea, not a Chery plan.
Size Against the Cars It Would Be Compared With
An SUV would be a different body on the same underpinnings, so the ute's numbers are a starting point, not a forecast. Here's the ute's wheelbase beside the three SUVs carsales names, as we list them:
| Model | Wheelbase | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Chery Stockman (ute, not an SUV) | 3,250mm | 5,450mm |
| Ford Everest | 2,900mm | 4,914mm |
| Toyota Prado | 2,850mm | 4,990mm |
| Isuzu MU-X | 2,855mm | 4,860mm |
As at 24 October 2026, from the rows in our directory. The Stockman figures are from Chery Australia. Any Stockman-based SUV would need its own dimensions, which nobody has published.
carsales also points to the sales pool: it reports the Everest added 26,161 deliveries to the Ranger's 56,555 in 2025, and says Australia's tightening New Vehicle Efficiency Standard could favour Chery, since a diesel wagon could be offset by the wider group's electric sales. Those are carsales' figures and reading, not Chery statements.
The ute any SUV would share its platform with is listed as coming soon, with no price yet.
Safety
ANCAP: no data. ANCAP hasn't published a rating we hold for the Stockman, and an SUV that doesn't exist yet has none. We won't show a star rating until ANCAP does.
What This Means for Buyers
If you're shopping for a large 4x4 wagon now, nothing here changes your options. There's no SUV to order, no name, no price and no date, and Qi himself says the brand and price are unresolved. The Everest, Prado and MU-X are the ones you can actually buy.
If you can wait, the ute comes first, with Chery Australia saying deliveries start from 1 February 2027. Our Stockman reservations article sets out what Chery Australia has published. If Chery says anything official about an SUV, we'll update this with the source.
Disclaimer: This article is based on a single outlet's report: carsales, "Chery to launch a Stockman-based SUV", by Tom Baker, 23 October 2026, which quotes Stockman chief engineer Mark Qi speaking in China. The platform capability, the quotes, the third-row and battery uncertainty, the possible five-seat and seven-seat split, the engine options, the Everest and Ranger sales figures and the efficiency-standard comment are as reported by carsales. The headline on carsales' own piece says Chery will launch an SUV; the body of that report gives no name, price or date and we have seen no Chery Australia statement, so nothing about an SUV is confirmed for Australia. Wheelbase and length figures are from our directory rows and are not a forecast for any SUV. We hold no ANCAP rating for the Stockman and none is implied. Confirm price, specification, safety rating and availability with Chery Australia.