Shanghai-based Chery is to unveil its first European-market crossover at the Frankfurt Motor Show, with a view to expanding its presence in the region’s fleet sector over the coming years.

Chery’s forthcoming crossover will rival the Nissan Qashqai.

The first of the range will be an as-yet-unnamed crossover, a rival for the Nissan Qashqai, which will debut next month. Chery said it is investigating sales opportunities in fleet as well as retail, and will establish local design and R&D centres as it grows.

So far, there are few details about the launch vehicle, other than prior announcements suggesting it will have 1.5-litre turbocharged hybrid and 1.6-litre direct injection petrol engines from launch. It’s also possible that the carmaker’s plug-in hybrid technology could be brought to Europe.

The wider model range will be focused on SUVs and crossovers, all of which will have “electrified powertrain technology” – though this is likely to include mild-hybrids.

Chery has built six million vehicles since it was founded in 1997, and a fifth of those have been exported. It has a 50:50 joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover to build cars in China, and another with Singapore-based Kenon Holdings, which is steadily rolling out the Qoros luxury brand in markets around the world.

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