Chery is obviously going to be a conquest brand for fleet in the UK, but we asked Lowe which brands he thinks it will be conquesting from?
He said: “Anywhere they are overpaying for their plug-in hybrids! To be honest, Tiggo 7 will be the most affordable plug-in hybrid in the UK – not just the segment, so that opens a lot of doors! Not only for us, but for customers. So, drivers that might have a full hybrid now, or maybe they’re running a petrol-powered competitor, we could offer a plug-in hybrid which could really improve things financially for the customer, and the fleet company that are taking it on.”
We moved on to ask Lowe how Chery is going to be marketed to fleets, and how the differentiation is going to be made between the new brand to the UK, and the established Omoda and Jaecoo brands, which are also owned by Chery.
He said: “The common factor across all the brands is the ‘Super Hybrid’. For Omoda and Jaecoo, it’s the ‘SHS Super Hybrid System’, for Chery it’s the ‘Chery Super Hybrid’. That’s our key to fleet, outside of the BEV models, and that’s key across both.
“Customers that already understand the Omoda and Jaecoo position, and how good that plug-in hybrid is, will recognise it’s the same technology, and see similar figures. A big part of fleet being open to Chery will be that.
“The pricing is lower than Omoda and Jaecoo, so there’s a natural differentiation there. In some fleet channels that would give a bigger advantage to Chery, in other channels where it’s BIK-based it’s a much smaller saving.”
We next asked Lowe if the plan is to be selling the Omoda, Jaecoo, and now Chery brands together to fleet?
He said: “This is one for Chris Clayton, head of fleet, to answer. He will have his own strategy, and it’s not something we’ve discussed. What I will say, is nothing is off the table.
“The focus on the feeling Chery gives you, is happiness and family. So, it’s very different from the positioning of Omoda and Jaecoo. For people driving similar rival models to the Chery now, it will be a broader appeal – rather than just being fashion, tech, or sport.
“So, I think Chery from that point of view, will potentially be more accessible to more customers from a price point.”
Lowe moved on to tell us there will be 25 dealers when Chery models go on sale in the UK this month. We asked if these dealers were likely to already have an Omoda and Jaecoo franchise?
He said: “There’s no hard and fast rule on how the dealers will be allocated – it will be market area dependent. My expectation is there will local fleet staff able to talk to SMEs, because we have that for Omoda and Jaecoo.
“The best way to do fleet is to have that engagement at dealer level. The dealers are a huge part of our success, and particularly in fleet, that has gone very well. So, diverting from that plan would be foolish.”
We asked Lowe if he anticipates Chery appealing more to SME fleet than Omoda and Jaecoo? Or will it be different sectors of the fleet market?
He said: “I think so, but I don’t see any reason why it would stand out more to SME.
“It is an extra fleet string to our bow. We’re spreading our price band, which I think is really important. Future Chery models will also be spreading the segments that we cover as well.
“There’s a lot more to come from all the brands – it’s head spinning and fantastic! Every car comes with its own USP, and the way to position it – it’s really fun.”
Finally, we asked Lowe how Chery are going to get their message out to fleets?
He said: “Dealers will be a big part of it, with their local fleet staff. We’re going to be visible at all the key events and making sure we’re on those lists – as being on lists is a huge part of fleet, isn’t it?”
