How the Ford Bronco and Tesla Model S helped shape Chery’s iCaur

A Ford Bronco’s elevated driving position and the smooth, quiet performance of a Tesla Model S helped shape the thinking behind Chery’s iCaur SUVs, according to the executive overseeing the brand’s product design.

Chery Automobile vice president Dr Su Jun, who oversees iCaur’s design, brand building and business operations, said his experience of both vehicles informed what he wanted from the company’s own cars.

Speaking with Australian media, including CarExpert, in China, Dr Su praised the Tesla’s electric driving experience but said “the position you sit in the car is very low”. The Bronco’s higher viewpoint appealed to him, particularly when taking in the scenery while driving.

“It’s very smooth, very quiet,” he said of the Tesla.

His ambition was to “combine these two kinds of things together”: the view from an upright SUV and the electric car qualities he enjoyed.

Dr Su said the team initially set out to make a vehicle they wanted for themselves, before finding other buyers wanted similar attributes.

His comments explain the product brief behind a brand preparing to enter Australia with the iCaur V25 in early 2027.

Dr Su previously taught industrial design and in 2014 founded Smartmi Technology and served as its CEO. Smartmi sells household appliances including air purifiers, humidifiers and fans, and describes itself as a supply partner in Xiaomi’s ecosystem.

He subsequently joined Chery with his automotive research and development team in early 2024 and assumed his current role in 2025. The iCar brand, known as iCaur in export markets, had been established in 2023.

That design background also came through when he discussed the influences on iCaur’s team. Alongside classic cars, he pointed to the restraint and simplicity of Apple and Muji products as references for a recognisable family of designs.

Asked whether iCaur was a technology company that happened to make cars, Dr Su described it as an “automobile corporation”, adding “we love technology”. He said the company was researching different vehicle layouts and ways to improve the experience of travelling.

The brand’s current overseas range includes electric vehicles (EVs) and extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs), with a series of upright SUVs ranging from the 4.2m-long electric V23 through to the 5m-long V27. The V25 sits between them in the lineup.

While all wear boxy, rugged styling seemingly inspired by traditional, body-on-frame off-road SUVs, they feature car-like unibody construction.

The mid-size V25 will debut the iCaur brand in Australia early in 2027, with the larger V27 to follow. The V23 has yet to be locked in.

Chery’s global design director Steve Eum previously told CarExpert he sees boxy SUVs as an enduring format, with room to distinguish individual vehicles through their front and rear styling and other details.

The iCaur brand, however, has also explored a more streamlined shape with the Robox concept shown at the 2026 Beijing motor show, and has said it plans to offer different, less boxy silhouettes in the future.

iCaur's V25 and V27 are among a number of boxy, electrified SUVs bound for Australia from China. These include other models from the Chery Group, including the Freelander 8 and Jetour T2, plus the GWM Haval H7, Geely Battleship 700, with Rox Motor also confirming it plans to launch in Australia either late this year or early in 2027.

Separately, the Bronco name is also joining Australia’s electrified SUV market, specifically the Chinese-built Bronco Basecamp, due here in the second half of 2027 with an extended-range electric powertrain and all-wheel drive.

All of the above-mentioned SUVs feature monocoque construction like iCaur's models.

MORE: iCaur V25 EV to lead Chery brand's Australian launch, V27 and V25 EREVs to follow
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