In the automotive world, we’re constantly promised the ‘one car to do it all’. It’s the ultimate suburban dream: a vehicle that can handle the Monday morning school run, a midweek trip to the hardware store, and a spontaneous weekend escape to the mountains without breaking a sweat. Most of the time, this involves compromise. You get space but lose agility; you get utility but sacrifice passenger comfort. Now, Chery has stepped into the ring, not with another compromise, but with a radical, shape-shifting solution that might just be the real deal: the world’s first 7-seater transformable multi-SUV – and what’s more, it’s right hand drive!!
Unveiled at the 2025 Chery User Summit in Wuhu, China, this groundbreaking vehicle isn’t just another SUV with a clever folding seat arrangement. It’s a genuine automotive chameleon, built on what Chery calls the innovative “6=1” concept. The idea is that through a series of ingenious transformations, a single vehicle can morph into six distinct layouts, designed to cover a staggering 99% of all family mobility scenarios. This isn’t just about moving people and things; it’s about creating a “mobile home” that adapts to every facet of your life. It’s a bold claim, but the execution looks seriously impressive.
From People Mover to Pickup Truck
At its core, the vehicle functions as a spacious and comfortable family hauler. In its “Large 7-Seat SUV Mode,” the numbers speak for themselves. With a body length of 4.9 metres, it plants a firm footprint in the large SUV category, ready to compete with established players. However, the real magic happens inside. The interior boasts a cavernous height of 1,284 mm. To put that in perspective, Chery claims a six-year-old child can stand fully upright inside, and elderly passengers can enter and exit without the awkward crouch often required by similar vehicles. This focus on genuine, multi-generational comfort sets it apart from competitors that often treat third-row seating as an afterthought.
But what about that weekend DIY project or a trip to the garden centre? This is where the 7-seater transformable multi-SUV reveals its most startling party trick. In what feels like a scene from a sci-fi movie, the vehicle converts into a “Double-Cab Pickup Mode”. Through an ingeniously designed quick-release structure, the entire rear hatch can be detached, transforming the enclosed rear into an open-air cargo bed. This isn’t a token gesture; the resulting bed offers 600 litres of cargo space, complete with four robust tie-down points and adjustable dividers to keep your load secure. Chery highlights its ability to carry everything from surfboards and camping tents to floral arrangements and construction materials, effectively obliterating the age-old dilemma of choosing between passengers and payload. It’s the kind of feature that could make traditional dual-cab utes nervous, offering ute-like practicality without sacrificing the refinement of a modern SUV.
The Adventurer’s Ecosystem
For those who hear the call of the open road, the vehicle’s versatility extends far beyond simple cargo hauling. The “Camper Mode” transforms the SUV into a legitimate base camp for exploration. Chery has designed the vehicle to support a rich ecosystem of accessories, turning it from a mode of transport into a destination in itself. The press release details options for side awnings for sheltered outdoor living, pop-up roof tents that create a second-story bedroom with a view, and rear-seat entertainment screens to keep the troops happy on long journeys.
Crucially, it also features an external power supply, allowing you to run lights, charge devices, or power a small fridge without draining the vehicle’s primary battery. This thoughtful integration shows Chery understands the modern adventurer, tapping directly into the growing popularity of ‘van life’ and self-contained weekend getaways. This isn’t just a car you can sleep in; it’s a platform designed from the ground up to enable a lifestyle of freedom and discovery.
Tarmac Takeaway – A New Era of Co-Creation
Perhaps as interesting as the vehicle itself is how it came to be. This design wasn’t dreamed up in a closed-off boardroom. It’s the result of Chery’s commitment to “user co-creation”. Since February 2024, a dedicated 20-member product expert team has spent over 300 days conducting on-the-ground research, directly engaging with families in multiple international markets to understand their real-world needs. This user-centric approach is baked into the vehicle’s DNA, moving beyond what brands think customers want and instead building what users have explicitly asked for.
This represents a significant evolution for the Chery brand, positioning it as a forward-thinking innovator in a crowded marketplace. So, when can we get our hands on one? The new 7-seater transformable multi-SUV is scheduled for its global consumer debut in the third quarter of 2026. While there is no confirmed timing for the Australian market yet, and by extension, New Zealand, the global buzz suggests it will be a priority.
This vehicle challenges the very definition of an SUV, an MPV, and a ute by blending the best attributes of all three into one highly flexible package. It’s ambitious, it’s clever, and if it delivers on its promises, it could genuinely be the one vehicle a modern Kiwi family ever needs. As an extra footnote, we were taken behind the scenes at the research facility and the prototype was RIGHT HAND DRIVE – very interesting indeed.
