Chery is not slowing down its paperwork in India. The Chinese automaker has filed two fresh design patents in the country, for the Exeed ET8 and the Omoda O4, adding to what is already one of the largest patent footprints any brand has built here without launching a single car.
Both filings tie back to Chery's evolving partnership with JSW Motors, the Indian conglomerate's upcoming passenger vehicle venture. The two companies have been exploring routes that range from fully imported badge-engineered models to CKD kits assembled locally at JSW's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar plant.
A Flagship SUV With Suicide Doors
The Exeed ET8 is the more dramatic of the two filings. It is a full-size flagship SUV measuring 5,205mm in length, 1,998mm in width and 1,800mm in height, riding on a 3,120mm wheelbase — dimensions that put it firmly in luxury SUV territory.
The design borrows heavily from established luxury cues. Suicide-opening rear doors echo Rolls-Royce, while vertical fender detailing pulls from Range Rover's design language. It rides on 21-inch wheels.
Chery has not revealed interior details yet, but the announced feature list is eye-catching: a 2+2+2 six-seat layout, 4D massaging second-row seats, and a 31-speaker Boya sound system. Under the skin, the ET8 is a range-extended EV, with Chery claiming a combined range of around 1,400km.
A Smaller, Sharper-Looking Second SUV
The Omoda O4 takes a different approach entirely. It is a C-segment SUV that has only just debuted globally and isn't even listed on Chery's own Omoda website yet — which makes its appearance in an Indian patent filing notable.
Styling follows Chery's "Cyber Mecha" design language: sharp angular body lines, a zig-zag LED lighting signature front and rear, a kink in the window line, and flared wheel arches. The O4 measures 4,420mm in length and 1,870mm in width.
Why This Keeps Happening
Here's the thing about design patents — they protect intellectual property, they don't confirm a launch date. Chery has now filed patents in India covering a long list of models across its various sub-brands, including the T1TP SUV and pickup, the Exlantix E08, Tiggo 7L, Tiggo 8, QQ3, Jetour T2, Lepas L6, iCar/iCaur V23, and the Jaecoo J5 and J7.
That is an unusually large paper trail for a company that has not sold a single car in the Indian market so far.
Still, the pattern is hard to ignore. Several Chery-derived models have already been spotted testing on Indian roads, and JSW Motors is reportedly preparing to launch a passenger vehicle brand focused specifically on new-energy vehicles. Each fresh patent adds another option to the shelf JSW could eventually pull from.
What It Means for Buyers
Nothing yet, and that is worth being upfront about. No pricing, no confirmed timeline, no official word from either company on which of these models — if any — will actually reach Indian showrooms.
But the sheer volume of filings tells its own story. When a company patents this many vehicles in a market it hasn't entered, it is not doing it out of curiosity. It is laying groundwork.
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