China is not only strong in electric cars, Japan is starting to follow suit

JAKARTA - Chinese car manufacturers are not only advancing in electric vehicles. In gasoline and hybrid engine technology, they are now said to be fast catching up, even in some cases surpassing Japan.

CarNewsChina's report quoted Nikkei Chinese which highlighted the progress of Chery, Geely, and Changan in internal combustion engine technology. The highlights are thermal efficiency, AI-based control, and the ability of the system to adjust the engine's work in real time.

Chery introduced the Kunpeng Tianqing hybrid system on the latest Tiggo 9 at the Shenzhen Auto Show. The engine is claimed to have a thermal efficiency of 48.57 percent, the highest figure ever announced by a car manufacturer.

Thermal efficiency is a measure of how much energy from a fuel is actually converted into work. The higher the number, the less energy is wasted as heat.

Geely developed the i-HEV system for the Xingyue L or Monjaro. The engine achieves 48.41 percent efficiency through a compression ratio of 15.5 to 1, Miller cycle technology, and AI-based energy management.

The Geely system is said to be able to adjust the engine's work based on altitude, humidity, and temperature.

Changan entered through the Bluecore Super Engine. This engine uses a 500 bar pressure direct injection system which is claimed to be the first mass-produced in the world. The technology makes fuel intake smoother and acceleration response faster.

Chery and Geely's efficiency figures exceed the current general range of gasoline engines, which are between 38 percent and 45 percent. The figure is also said to outperform many modern hybrid systems that have been considered superior.

Chinese manufacturers are also incorporating AI and the merging of sensor data into engine control units. This technology is used to regulate combustion and energy flow so that the engine can more quickly adapt to road and weather conditions.

Chery plans to use the same engine family for plug-in hybrid vehicles and range extender electric cars. A range extender is an electric car that still carries a small gasoline engine to help recharge the battery when needed.

China is also continuing to develop gasoline and hybrid engines as their electric vehicle sales rise in global markets. The market is still large because more than 70 million vehicle buyers each year still choose internal combustion engine cars.

In 2025, Chery sold 2.8 million vehicles. About 70 percent of them are still gasoline-powered. Chery's exports reached 1.34 million units, the most among Chinese car manufacturers.

According to a report by CarNewsChina citing Nikkei, reported on Friday, June 26, the Japanese manufacturer still leads the non-electric vehicle segment with a share of around 30 percent. China is in the range of 20 percent.

However, GF Securities analysts believe that the combination of highly efficient engines and smart vehicle technology from China could transform the hybrid market by 2038. GlobalData estimates that hybrid cars still account for 15 percent of global vehicle sales that year.