The history of the Chery automobile brand begins in China. In the system of transliteration of Chinese characters with the letters of the English alphabet, it looks like "Qirui", and its English transliteration was supposed to be like "Cheery". But an error occurred during transliteration and the company decided not to correct the error.

The brand is owned by the local government of Wuhu, but the state plans to privatize it. In 2006 The company sold about 305,000 cars. It is the largest independent Chinese automobile manufacturer and one of the fastest growing manufacturers in the world.

Chery was founded in 1997. to maintain the economy in Wuhu, a low-industrial region of China. The first plant used machine technology and machine tools that they bought from Ford Europe for $ 25 million. They began their automobile production in 1999 using chassis licensed from SEAT's Toledo.

The company was illegal under the laws of China and they had to register as "Car Parts Supplier." So, the company was able to obtain permission to sell their cars throughout China.

In 2001 Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) bought a 20% interest, allowing Chery to use the right to sell SAIC.

In 2001 Chery began exporting cars to Syria, becoming the first Chinese car exporter. Chery also received ISO-9001 certification. In September 2002 Chery received ISO / TS 16949 - the highest level certificate at the time.

In 2003 Chery founded a research organization and began working with consultants from foreign firms to improve their technology and quality. Chery hired Japanese engineers from Mitsubishi to lead Chery's Lean / Six Sigma system products, which were first used in their cars in 2003.

In 2004, they began using the DURR Paint system in paint shops, becoming one of the five plants in the world who used this method of painting. SAIC sold Chery with the right to return the goods in 2004 due to increased tension between Chery and other partners such as General Motors and Volkswagen.

In 2005 Chery upgraded their product qualifications to ISO / TS 16949: 2002. It was the highest and most stringent control system in the global automotive industry. They also began working with Malcolm Bricklin's company, Visionary Vehicles, hoping to be the first to sell Chinese cars in America.

It was planned to import five new automobile lines. Bricklin planned to create 250 dealerships in America that would sell 250,000 cars by 2007. However, after two suspensions and various contradictions due to finances and the design of the machine, the transaction did not take place.

Instead, Chery pursued its own export plan and developed a large batch of machines for the market in America, Europe, and Japan. The aesthetic appearance of the car was given by Italian designers Bertone and Pininfarina, who worked on the Ferrari and Lamborghini brands.

AVL from Austria also worked with Chery to produce 18 engines, including a turbodiesel, for a new line of cars. The new ACTECO engine brand met Euro IV standards and used advanced technologies such as fused aluminum cylinder blocks and direct fuel injection.