Chery-backed kei car revealed in patent drawings, with a rugged twin

Patent drawings have revealed what appears to be the production version of the first Emta kei car, a Chery-backed electric city car due on sale in Japan in 2027.

Inside China Auto reports the drawings, first published by Chinese outlet Kuaikeji on 29 October, show the car in two forms: a city version and a more rugged-looking twin with dark cladding. Both show the same upright box Inside China Auto spotted on the back of a truck in Wuhu last week, this time without the camouflage, and both are more conventional than the cute #01 concept Emta showed in May, which looked like a five-door Chery QQ Ice Cream.

Two faces

The city version has round LED headlights in square surrounds, joined by a dark panel across the nose, with a body-coloured bumper and round fog lamps below. The rugged version swaps in a slatted grille, dark grey cladding around the bumpers and wheel arches, and a silver skid plate-style insert front and rear.

Some reports have described the rugged car as an off-road trim, but nothing in the drawings shows it is more than a styling package, and Emta hasn’t commented. Beyond the bumpers and cladding the two are the same, with short overhangs, a tall glasshouse and a rear light bar that echoes the headlights. Kuaikeji reports a sliding rear door for tight Japanese parking spaces and a wide-opening tailgate.

The patent drawings from the rear:

Who is Emta?

Emta is the brand of Electric Mobility Technologies, a Singapore-registered joint venture announced in May. Chery and Jiangsu Yueda each hold 27.27%, Japanese parts retailer Autobacs Seven and battery maker Gotion hold 18.18% each, and quality specialist Anest has 9.09%.

Chery supplies the platform and electric drive, Gotion the battery, Yueda builds the cars at its Yancheng plant, and Autobacs handles sales in Japan. The cars will be sold as Emtas rather than Chery models, and Chery describes itself as a shareholder only, with no role in day-to-day operations.

The first model is around 3.4m long to fit Japan’s kei rules. Emta hasn’t released power, battery or range figures, but says pricing will be close to existing petrol kei cars, and it will come with an L2 driver assistance system called Magic Drive. It will take on the Honda N-Box, Nissan Sakura, Daihatsu Tanto, Suzuki Hustler and BYD Racco, with a hatchback, an SUV and an MPV to follow by 2029.

An iCAUR in waiting?

Inside China Auto has used the patent drawings to create AI-generated impressions of the finished car, and suggests the rugged version would suit iCAUR, Chery’s brand of boxy, off-road-styled EVs.

“The rugged kei car’s squared-off lamps, flat grille panel and chunky cladding would sit very comfortably in that family. The blank panel in its grille is just where iCAUR puts its wordmark,” it says. It also points out that iCAUR’s smallest current model, the V23, is around 4.2m long, so a kei-sized car could give the brand a cheaper way in.

Inside China Auto is clear that this is speculation. “Nothing in the filings links the car to iCAUR. Both front designs share the same body and have been reported as Emta designs, and Emta is a separate joint venture in which Chery is one of five shareholders. It’s a hunch, not a scoop, and we’ll know more when Emta shows the production car ahead of its Japanese launch in 2027.”

Inside China Auto’s AI-generated impressions, based on the patent drawings. Not official images.

Could Chery do a Racco?

BYD’s Racco went on sale in Japan in July and is under consideration for New Zealand, with BYD NZ general manager Warren Willmot telling us the company will look at it if the numbers work. We have reviewed the Racco in Japan.

Chery already sells Chery, Omoda and Jaecoo models here, and like the Racco, the Emta is being built for Japan, which drives on the left like New Zealand. Emta is a separate brand set up for the Japanese market, though, and no plans beyond Japan have been announced.