Chery claims diesel plug-in Stockman will make light work of DPF cleaning

Chery says the plug-in hybrid system in its Stockman ute will reduce the diesel particulate filter problems that put many buyers off diesel. GWM had questioned how Chery would make that system work.

At the national launch of the petrol-powered Cannon Hi4-T plug-in hybrid, GWM Australia and New Zealand product planning manager Tim Leong listed the Stockman among the Cannon’s rivals and named the DPF as the sticking point.

“Something I’m personally very curious about is how they’ll get around having a diesel, with the DPF and so on, in a plug-in hybrid,” Leong says. “How do they overcome those issues with the engine going on and off, on and off? It’s something GWM is solving internally as well, because we’re also working on a diesel hybrid system, and a diesel plug-in for the future.”

A DPF traps soot from the exhaust and cleans itself by burning it off, which needs the exhaust to stay hot for a sustained period. Short trips already make that difficult for conventional diesels.

Mark Qi, the Stockman’s chief engineer, previously held the same role on the Cannon at GWM, leaving before the Cannon Hi4-T plug-in hybrid was developed. Speaking to Australian and New Zealand media in China, he says the electric side of the powertrain addresses the conditions that clog a filter in the first place.

“Customers complain about diesel exhaust aftertreatment, the DPF and the SCR. When the temperature is low and the speed is low, particulate levels are very high and the DPF needs cleaning,” Qi says. “Because we have an electric motor to help the diesel, when it’s cold you can use the battery to drive the vehicle. We also have a P1 electric motor that very quickly brings the engine up to a good operating speed. It’s not like a traditional diesel sitting at 700 to 800rpm.”

The P1 motor sits on the engine’s crankshaft and can act as a generator. That means the diesel can be kept working in its efficient, hotter-running range, with surplus energy going back into the battery rather than being wasted.

Qi says Chery’s testing shows owners using the Stockman as an everyday vehicle shouldn’t notice the filter regenerating at all, and the system also cuts AdBlue use. “On the highway at 100km/h, AdBlue gets used very quickly because the engine is working hard. At that point the electric motor helps too, so you can travel a much longer distance before you need more AdBlue.”

The Stockman pairs a 2.5-litre turbo diesel with a plug-in hybrid system for 350kW and 800Nm, and its 34kWh battery gives 96km of electric range on the WLTC cycle. It’s due here in the first quarter of 2027, with pricing to be confirmed.

The Cannon Hi4-T pairs a 2.0-litre turbo petrol with an electric motor for 310kW and 750Nm, and costs from $58,990 plus on-road costs.