Kunpeng Super Hybrid is Chery Group's single hybrid platform — an unusually flexible one. The same dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT) and software stack underpin three different drivetrain types: a full hybrid (HEV) with no plug, a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and an extended-range EV (EREV). The hardware barely changes between them; what changes is the battery size, the role of the engine, and the calibration. This modular approach is why Kunpeng now ships across Chery, Jaecoo, Exeed, Omoda and the export-focused iCAR brand — a wider footprint than any single drivetrain from BYD or Geely.
The shared core: a 3-speed DHT
Most Chinese DHTs use one or two speeds. Kunpeng uses three. That extra ratio matters because the engine can stay closer to its efficiency sweet spot across more of the speed range. The DHT housing contains a 1.5T or 2.0T atkinson-cycle engine, a generator motor (P1), a drive motor (P3) and the three-speed gearset. Power can flow from the engine directly to the wheels (parallel), from the engine to the generator and then to the motor (series), or from the battery only (pure EV). The transition between modes is calibrated to be imperceptible — one of the system's best-rated traits in reviews.
Chery's claim for the engine is up to 44.5% thermal efficiency. Slightly behind BYD's DM-i 5.0 and Geely's i-HEV, but in the same league. On the road, Tiggo 8 Kunpeng PHEV owners report 4–5 L/100 km empty-tank, comparable with the segment leaders.
Three flavours, one platform
- Kunpeng HEV (no plug): small ~2 kWh battery, charged only by the engine and regenerative braking. The system runs as a full hybrid — you fuel it like a normal car, and it returns ~5 L/100 km. Tiggo 7, Tiggo 8 HEV, Omoda 5 HEV, exported as the Omoda 7 in Europe.
- Kunpeng PHEV: larger 18–25 kWh battery and a plug, giving 90–200 km of CLTC EV range. The big seller. Tiggo 8 PHEV, Tiggo 9 PHEV, Exeed RX, Jaecoo J7 PHEV, Jaecoo J8 PHEV.
- Kunpeng EREV: largest battery (40+ kWh), longer EV range (200–300 km), and the engine acts only as a generator — never driving the wheels directly. The drivetrain behaves like a pure EV until the battery runs low. Used in the iCAR V23 EREV and the upcoming Exeed M7 EREV.
Why "one platform, three drivetrains" matters
For Chery, modularity solves a manufacturing problem. The Group sells cars in 80+ markets at very different fuel and charging realities — some buyers cannot plug in at all, some can plug in nightly, some want a pure-EV feel but no range anxiety. Building one set of factories and software for the engine, generator and drive motor, then varying only the battery, is dramatically cheaper than running three completely separate programs. It also means a model can move between drivetrain types mid-cycle (Tiggo 8 moved from HEV-only to PHEV without a platform change) without retooling.
For our news coverage, the practical takeaway is that "Kunpeng" in a Chery, Jaecoo, Exeed or Omoda headline tells you the powertrain family but not the drivetrain: check whether the badge ends in HEV, PHEV or EREV. All three share the same DHT and engine; they differ in the battery they carry and the role the engine is allowed to play.
Where it stands competitively
Chery does not have BYD's brand cachet in the home market or Geely's three-brand reach, but on engineering metrics Kunpeng is competitive. The 3-speed DHT is technically more sophisticated than the 2-speed units BYD and Geely use; the engine efficiency figure is within a hair of theirs; and the system is the only one of the three that supports a true EREV configuration on the same hardware. As Chery's export volume keeps growing — Tiggo 7/8 are now the best-selling Chinese SUVs in Russia, Australia, Brazil and Mexico — Kunpeng is likely the hybrid system many global readers will meet first.
