Chery’s ute naming contest hits the final nine

A world-first plug-in hybrid diesel ute (unless GWM beats them to it) is one public vote away from getting a name, and if the shortlist is anything to go by, it’ll land with a thick Aussie twang.

Chery Australia has narrowed down more than 20,000 public submissions to a shortlist of nine names for its upcoming PHEV diesel ute, with voting now open across the Tasman to decide which one sticks. Stockman, Bushwalker, Ironbark, Outrider; the finalists read like a roll call of the Australian outback, which means whatever badge ends up on the tailgate is almost certainly going to feel unmistakably Australian.

The naming competition, launched earlier this year, asked Australians to suggest a moniker for what Chery is calling a world-first plug-in hybrid diesel ute. The response was, in the brand’s words, overwhelming, and the final nine lean heavily into rugged, distinctly Aussie territory.

The shortlist:

• Outrider: a nod to the scouts who rode ahead into unknown country, suggested by Tina L from WA.
• Orca: pitched by Victoria’s Fred Z for the apex predator’s strength and adaptability.
• Ironbark: Queensland’s Nadine G drawing on the famously tough eucalypt.
• Bushwalker: Hong Chang Z from NSW capturing the at-home-anywhere vibe.
• Stockman: Steve K from Victoria leaning into the legend of the Aussie drover.
• Longreach: Robert H from NSW, evoking rural distance and endurance.
• Ridgeback: Rachel I from WA, mixing rugged terrain with dependability.
• Terra: Jason C from NSW, going Latin for “earth.”
• Mate: Jeremy T from NSW, with possibly the most Australian submission imaginable.

The winner gets the first Chery ute to land in Australia when it arrives later this year.

Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris says the quality of entries made shortlisting tough. “We asked Australians to help name this ute, and they delivered in a big way,” he says. “The shortlisted names show just how passionate Aussies are about utes, but also how they’re thinking about the next generation of vehicles as new energy technology evolves.”

Among the entries that didn’t make the cut but deserve a mention: Dropbear and B-ute. A moment of silence for both.

Whether the chosen name carries across to a New Zealand launch remains to be seen. Chery hasn’t confirmed local plans for the PHEV diesel ute yet, but given the brand’s accelerating presence here, it’d be a surprise if it stayed Australian-exclusive for long.

Public voting is open from 5 May and closes 19 May.