Chery announced in April that its hybrid engine Kunpeng Tianqing, which is currently under development, has a thermal efficiency of 48.57%, which Vice President Hong Gaoming said ranks first in the world.

According to Chery, the thermal efficiency of gasoline engines currently sold in the market is generally around 38% to 45%.

Chery has improved the engine design structure and further refined the fuel particles sprayed in the cylinder mist, making it easier to mix with air. Kunpeng Tianqing will be used for plug-in hybrid and extended range vehicles that are equipped with both batteries and engines.

Chery will sell 2.8 million vehicles in 2025 and export nearly 50% of them, reaching 1.34 million vehicles, surpassing BYD and Geely and ranking first among Chinese enterprises.

Despite many Chinese car companies focusing on new energy, Chery's gasoline car sales still account for 70%. Kunpeng Tianqing is also expected to be exported to areas with outdated charging infrastructure.

Gan Jiayue, CEO of Geely Automobile Group, stated at a press conference in Hangzhou in April that the company will completely overturn traditional Japanese hybrid technology.

Geely has developed an engine with a thermal efficiency increased to 48.41%, and its hybrid system i-HEV improves fuel efficiency through AI control.

Geely has set a goal of increasing overseas sales by 80% compared to 2025 and reaching 750000 vehicles by 2026. According to export data from 2025, the proportion of engine vehicles exceeds half.

Chongqing Changan Automobile also launched sedans and SUVs equipped with a new hybrid engine in May, with a cylinder injection pressure of 500 bar, claiming to be the world's first mass-produced, and faster power response in vehicle starting and overtaking situations.

According to data from UK research firm GlobalData, the proportion of EVs in global car sales is expected to reach 49% by 2038, with pure gasoline vehicles dropping to 25%, HV expected to remain at 15%, and PHV growing to 8%. There is still demand for engines.

In terms of engine technology, Japanese companies have always been at the forefront. Chinese companies used to believe that there was a significant gap in engine technology with Japan and Europe, so they focused on the development of EV technologies such as in car batteries and motors.

According to research firm MarkLines, by 2025, Chinese companies will account for 59% of the global EV market share, while Japanese companies will only have 3%; But in the non EV field, Japanese companies still lead Chinese companies by 20% with a 30% share.