Chery is giving its boxy V27 range-extended SUV a substantially larger battery just months after the model reached the Chinese market. The new long-range version of the vehicle, sold as the iCAR V27 in China and under the iCAUR name internationally, gets a 51.2-kWh CATL lithium-iron-phosphate battery and a claimed 300 kilometres of electric driving under China’s CLTC test cycle.
That is a meaningful jump from the 34.3-kWh battery fitted to the existing Chinese-market V27. The upgrade does not turn the vehicle into a conventional battery-electric SUV: its gasoline range extender remains part of the package for longer trips. Instead, Chery is stretching the portion of everyday driving that can potentially be completed without running the engine. The long-range V27 is scheduled to officially launch in China on September 30, 2026.
The Battery Has Grown by Nearly Half
The headline change is straightforward. Increasing capacity from 34.3 kWh to 51.2 kWh adds 16.9 kWh of nominal battery storage, an increase of approximately 49.3%. For an extended-range electric vehicle, that is not a minor model-year adjustment. It materially changes how much of the V27’s driving can theoretically be handled using externally charged electricity before its gasoline generator becomes necessary.
The existing Chinese V27 lineup carries CLTC electric-range ratings of 210 kilometres in rear-wheel-drive form and 200 kilometres for the four-wheel-drive versions. Chery’s newly announced 300-kilometre figure therefore represents another 90 to 100 kilometres on paper, depending on which current version is used as the comparison. That works out to roughly 43% more rated range than the 210-kilometre model and 50% more than the 200-kilometre versions. For owners who can regularly plug in at home or work, those extra kilometres could noticeably reduce how often the range extender needs to operate.
The 300-Kilometre Figure Needs the Right Context
The 300-kilometre number is a CLTC rating, which is important when judging what the upgrade actually means. Laboratory driving cycles are designed to make vehicles comparable under controlled conditions; they are not promises that every vehicle will travel exactly the advertised distance. Highway speed, outside temperature, cabin heating or cooling, passenger load, wheel choice and driving style can all change the distance achieved from a charge.
There is already useful context from the current V27. In an independent test of the 200-kilometre CLTC four-wheel-drive model, Autohome recorded 169.5 kilometres of electric driving before the range extender started, with 8% battery remaining. Testing took place in temperatures between 15°C and 23°C at an average speed of 43.5 km/h, producing an indicated CLTC attainment rate of 84.8%. That result cannot simply be applied to the larger battery, but it illustrates why independent testing of the 51.2-kWh V27 will matter once customer vehicles are available.
Fast Charging Remains a Major Part of the Package
A larger battery is more useful when it does not require dramatically longer stops, and Chery says the long-range V27 can charge from 30% to 80% in 17 minutes. That is the same advertised 30-to-80% time associated with the existing Chinese V27, despite the new battery carrying substantially more energy. Chery has not yet provided a complete charging curve for the new pack, so its sustained and peak charging behaviour will need to be confirmed after launch.
The SUV also retains a 6-kW vehicle-to-load capability. That allows energy stored in the traction battery to power external electrical equipment, a feature aimed partly at the camping and outdoor market that Chery targets with the V27. A 51.2-kWh pack gives the vehicle a considerably larger energy reservoir than the current model, although the amount available for external use will depend on the vehicle’s discharge limits and the minimum battery reserve selected. The combination makes the battery upgrade relevant even when the V27 is parked rather than driving.
The Gasoline Engine Still Works as a Range Extender
Despite gaining enough battery capacity to cover significantly more short-distance driving, the V27 remains a range-extended electric vehicle. Its 1.5-litre turbocharged gasoline engine functions primarily as an onboard generator, while electric motors provide propulsion. Chery says its “Super Golden Range Extender” system achieves 45.79% engine thermal efficiency and can generate 3.71 kWh of electricity from one litre of gasoline under the company’s specified operating conditions.
The newly announced long-range version is also quoted with total drive power of 335 kW. That matches the output of the existing Chinese four-wheel-drive V27, which uses a front and rear electric motor and produces 505 Nm of combined torque. The established four-wheel-drive version is rated for 0–100 km/h in 5.5 seconds. Chery has not yet published every performance figure for every long-range configuration, however, so the existing acceleration and torque numbers should be treated as reference points rather than automatically assigned to every new variant.
It Remains a Very Large, Boxy Five-Seat SUV
The battery expansion is being installed in a vehicle that already has a substantial footprint. The Chinese-market V27 measures 5,055 mm long when fitted with its external spare wheel, 1,976 mm wide and 1,894 mm tall, with a 2,910-mm wheelbase. That puts it firmly into large five-seat SUV territory rather than the compact crossover category occupied by many electrified vehicles.
Its dimensions also support the deliberately rugged presentation. Published specifications list 220 mm of minimum ground clearance, 24.5-degree approach and departure angles and a maximum wading depth of 600 mm. Chery pairs those figures with independent front and rear suspension rather than treating the V27 as a traditional ladder-frame off-roader. Inside, the regular Chinese-market model can provide up to 1,818 litres of cargo space with the second row folded. The result is a vehicle designed to bridge everyday family use and recreational trips rather than focus exclusively on either role.
The Larger Battery Also Fits the V27’s Outdoor Focus
Chery has surrounded the V27 with features intended to make it more than a commuter vehicle. The existing model offers 17 locations containing 51 expansion interfaces for accessories and equipment, while its roof rack is rated for 200 kg of static load. Four-wheel-drive versions can also be specified with a towing package carrying a quoted 1.6-tonne towing rating. Those specifications help explain why external power delivery receives almost as much attention as conventional charging.
The 6-kW V2L system can turn the SUV into a substantial mobile power source for campsites, work areas or other situations away from mains electricity. Equipment such as cooking appliances, lighting, portable refrigeration and electronics can potentially be powered from the vehicle within the system’s rated limit. With the new pack storing nearly 17 kWh more energy than the original battery, there is considerably more theoretical capacity available to divide between driving and stationary power use. Actual usable energy will still depend on battery-management settings and remaining state of charge.
Chery Is Promising More Than a Battery Upgrade
The September 30 launch is expected to bring changes beyond electric range. Reports based on information from iCAR say the long-range V27 will also receive upgrades to cabin comfort and its intelligent-vehicle experience. Chery had not fully detailed those changes when the 51.2-kWh battery specifications were announced, making the launch event important for establishing exactly which equipment is standard and which features depend on trim level.
There is already a substantial technology baseline. Current Chinese V27 models use a 15.4-inch central display, an 8.88-inch digital instrument cluster and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8295P cockpit processor. Driver-assistance hardware is divided between Falcon 500 and higher-level Falcon 700+ configurations. The upper system uses a Horizon Robotics Journey 6P processor rated at 560 TOPS and incorporates lidar among its sensors. The important unanswered question is how Chery will package those existing technologies alongside the larger battery rather than whether the V27 has a modern electronics architecture to begin with.
Price Could Be as Important as the Extra 16.9 kWh
When the original V27 reached the Chinese market on March 13, 2026, Chery launched three versions. The 210-kilometre rear-wheel-drive Falcon 500 started at 169,800 yuan. Moving to the 200-kilometre four-wheel-drive Falcon 500 increased the price to 182,800 yuan, while the higher-specification four-wheel-drive Falcon 700 cost 196,800 yuan. All three used the 34.3-kWh battery.
As of September 28, Chery had confirmed the September 30 launch date for the 51.2-kWh long-range V27 but had not announced its final retail price. That leaves an important piece of the story unresolved. The new battery contains almost half as much additional capacity as the old pack, but its value to buyers will depend heavily on how much Chery charges for the upgrade and how it distributes the larger battery among rear- and four-wheel-drive configurations. The launch-day trim structure and incentives will therefore matter almost as much as the 300-kilometre headline.
iCAR and iCAUR Refer to the Same V27 Family
The naming can become confusing because the SUV is marketed differently depending on the country. Chery sells the vehicle through the iCAR brand in China, while international markets increasingly use the iCAUR name. Chery describes iCAUR as one of its new-energy brands, and the first export batch of V27s left Shanghai in January 2026 after an international validation programme that included testing in hot, cold and challenging environments.
Specifications can differ considerably between markets. In Colombia, for example, the iCAUR V27 is currently advertised with a 20.47-kWh LFP battery in the rear-wheel-drive version and a 34.31-kWh unit in the four-wheel-drive model. Their advertised NEDC electric ranges are 95 and 150 kilometres respectively. Those numbers should not be compared directly with China’s 300-kilometre CLTC figure because both the batteries and test cycles differ. More importantly, Chery has not yet confirmed that the new 51.2-kWh Chinese specification will automatically become the standard export configuration.
CATL’s Role Is Already Central to the V27
CATL is not a new supplier for this vehicle. The battery maker has publicly promoted the V27 as using its Freevoy Super Hybrid Battery technology, a product family designed for plug-in hybrids and extended-range vehicles. The existing Chinese V27 already uses CATL lithium-iron-phosphate cells, and Chery has now specifically confirmed CATL LFP cells for the new 51.2-kWh long-range battery.
There is still a distinction worth preserving. Chery’s latest announcement confirms the cell supplier, chemistry and battery capacity but does not provide a full technical breakdown of the new pack or explicitly detail every change from the previous CATL installation. Final curb weight, complete combined-range figures, the exact long-range trim lineup and international-market availability were also still awaiting confirmation ahead of the September 30 launch. What is already clear is that Chery has moved the V27 closer to behaving like a battery-electric SUV during routine use while keeping gasoline generation available for longer journeys.
