On July 28, Chery Group and iFlytek signed a new five-year strategic cooperation framework and the 2026 annual cooperation agreement. The partnership, dating back to 2003, has spanned 23 years. This renewal deepens cooperation in intelligent cockpits, smart audio, and multilingual overseas deployment, while exploring new frontiers including commercial vehicles, joint overseas marketing, aftermarket services, and in-car subscription models. iFlytek's multilingual assistant already covers 32 languages across 60 countries and regions.
23-Year Milestone: From In-Car Voice to Full-Scene AI
On July 28, 2026, at a strategic signing ceremony in Hefei, Chery Automobile Group and iFlytek formally finalized a new five-year strategic cooperation framework, alongside the 2026 annual cooperation agreement. iFlytek Chairman Liu Qingfeng, President Wu Xiaoru, and Chery Group Chairman Yin Tongyue attended the ceremony alongside senior executives from both sides.
This represents another major upgrade since the two companies first collaborated in 2003. At that time, the Chery QQ became the first vehicle in China to feature iFlytek's in-car voice interaction, pioneering the domestic in-vehicle speech application space. The partnership has since evolved continuously:
| Year | Cooperation Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Chery QQ first equipped with iFlytek in-car voice, pioneering China's IVI speech applications |
| 2017 | Partnership upgraded to comprehensive strategic cooperation |
| 2025 | Joint venture Anhui Qisheng Technology established, focusing on in-vehicle smart audio |
| July 2026 | New five-year framework signed, deepening AI cockpit, audio, and overseas deployment |
Three Mature Business Lines: Cockpit, Audio, Global
Under the new agreement, both parties will continue deepening their collaboration across three established business domains:
- Intelligent Cockpit: iFlytek's Spark Cockpit 3.0 will accelerate mass production deployment. The system introduces an industry-first human-like multimodal intelligent vehicle interaction architecture, comprising four modules — multimodal perception, multidimensional expression, memory learning, and thinking/decision-making — enabling natural interaction where a single voice command completes complex tasks.
- Smart Audio: The iFLYSOUND intelligent sound field solution will expand its installation footprint. The solution features over 30 self-developed audio algorithms, supporting scene switching across concert hall, cinema, and healing room modes, plus features like sound field zoning, mic-free karaoke, and随行DJ entertainment functions.
- Multilingual Overseas: iFlytek's multilingual assistant already covers 32 languages across 60 countries and regions, aligning well with Chery's position as China's top-ranked brand by export volume. Both parties will accelerate localized voice adaptation and overseas marketing coordination.
Four New Frontiers: Expanding the Intelligence Boundary
Beyond deepening existing businesses, this cooperation also identifies four new areas for exploration:
- Commercial Vehicle Intelligence: Extending AI cockpit and voice interaction capabilities from passenger vehicles to commercial vehicle scenarios
- Joint Overseas Marketing: Coordinated overseas brand promotion and localized operations
- Aftermarket Services: Providing cockpit upgrade and intelligence retrofit solutions for existing vehicle owners
- Product Subscription Models: Exploring new business models where in-car features are offered on a subscription basis
Chery Chairman Yin Tongyue stated at the signing that Chery and iFlytek should further deepen strategic synergy, accelerate the landing of new products, features, and solutions, and translate years of accumulated AI technology into perceivable user experiences.
Strategic Significance for Overseas Markets
For industry observers in Central Asia, Russia, and global emerging markets, the deepening Chery-iFlytek collaboration signals two important trends:
- Chinese automakers are making intelligence a core export competitiveness: Unlike earlier export logic centered primarily on pricing, brands like Chery are now packaging intelligent cockpits, AI interaction, and other differentiated capabilities as bundled offerings, creating a "product + ecosystem" composite advantage.
- Multilingual AI capability is becoming critical global infrastructure: iFlytek's 32-language coverage directly addresses the localization interaction challenge for Chinese automakers entering non-English markets. This is particularly critical for adaptation to Russian and Central Asian languages.
As one of China's leading automotive brands by global export volume, Chery's upgraded partnership with iFlytek means that future Chery models exported to Russia, Central Asia, and other markets will feature more robust local language interaction capabilities and more intelligent cockpit experiences. For the latest analysis on Chinese smart vehicle globalization, visit EX1000.COM.
