Chery Leads Chinese Independent Brands' Way to Dakar

On October 31, 2009, "The Press Conference of Chinese Rely Fleet's Challenging 2010 Dakar Rally" was held by Chery Automobile Co. Ltd. in Beijing. Chery announced that Chinese Rely fleet, comprised of its first large commercial SUV Rely X5, would campaign the "2010 Dakar Rally". This is the first time for Chinese auto brand to attend Dakar rally, which rewrites the history of zero-record for Chinese independent brands in Dakar in the past 32 years.

At the beginning of 2009, Chery changed its 12-year "Chery" single-brand strategy and launched three new brands - Riich, Rely, Karry, aiming respectively at segments of high-end passenger car, high-end commercial car and compact. Together with Chery, they form a strategic layout of "Great Chery" with multi-brands, multi-marketing channels and multi-product lines. Although divided both in product and position, the four brands all follow the original principle of "supreme brand, leading product, internationalized cooperation and open culture". Currently, the main purpose of Chery's oversea market is to further enhance the development of marketing network and improve the after-sales service network. Therefore, the multi-brand strategy is only operated in China, while in oversea markets the brand of Chery is used.

As a new brand, Rely is "originated from Chery, targeting high-end", with "vision, enterprising, control" as its key spirit, and high-end all-round commercial vehicle as its main products. Representing Chery Corporation, Rely challenging Dakar fully indicates the strength, confidence and vision of its brand and products.  

Dakar is considered as one of the most "devil" rally, because the terrain of its main legs is much more complicated and difficult than that of common rallies, and the vehicles are all real SUV instead of modified cars. Most of the legs are far away from highways, drivers have to go through sand dunes, mud, grass, rocks and desert, with long race time and bad weather. The 2010 Dakar Rally will be held from January 1 to January 16, with its legs focused in Chile and Argentina. This time the legs will be much more difficult than before. Although the mileage is forecasted to be truncated to 8600km, 900km less than that of 2009, in fact, the length of all legs covers a mileage as long as 5200km. Meanwhile, the grass legs are reduced and that of massive desert are added. Therefore, it is obviously a crucial and tough challenge for Rely fleet and X5, who is for the first time to attend the rally. 

Choosing Dakar to challenge the top and most tough race around the world, Chery hopes to show the strength of its products and brand. The Rely fleet challenging Dakar will be constituted by four vehicles--two X5 race cars, one X5 conductor car and one Rely H5 support car for conveying emergency equipments.

For the first time to attend the Dakar Rally, Rely fleet invited several international and domestic experts to manage and operate the fleet. Dali Ma (Hong Kong, China), who is named "Asia wheel-drive King" and has successfully operated several fleets, will be nominated as the manager, leading the fleet to challenge the "most crucial race around the world". The first driver is Ningjun Lu, who has attended Dakar race for five times. Currently, the fleet is under intense preparation, all the preparation work for the race is proceeding steadily. Lu expressed in an interview that "it’s definitely stressful to attend 2010 Dakar Rally, but X5, as a real Chinese brand, has different meaning, we have to get good scores."

Yin Tongyue, the CEO and General Manager of Chery Group, said in the press conference, "To attend the Dakar race, good results is expected. However, it is much more important to study, accumulate and explore, just as Chery's 12-years history. The Rely fleet carries the responsibility of brand development, the hopes of Chery people and Chinese people's glory and dream. We believe that through the test of smoke in Dakar, Rely X5 will show the world the strength and brilliance of SUV of Chinese independent brands

Challenging Dakar is the dream of Chinese independent brands and the 12-year sediment of Chery Corporation. We hope that Chinese Rely fleet realizes its dream during the most "devil" race around the world, just as the excellent performance of Riich G5 in the "devil track" Nurburgring North. Meanwhile, we expect Chinese Chery can realize its transformation from a production-oriented enterprise to a brand-oriented enterprise, from a Chinese independent brand to a world-renowned brand.

 From right to left: Lu Ningjun, the first driver of Rely fleet; Yin Tongyue, the CEO and G.M.of Chery; Jiang Yaoheng, the second driver of Rely fleet.

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