Chery’s new hybrids knock it out of the park in South Africa

Chery’s selection of new hybrid models is off to a great start in South Africa.

Earlier this year, the Chinese automaker launched four new hybrid SUVs in rapid succession, starting with the Tiggo Cross Chery Super Hybrid (CSH) back in June.

A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), the Tiggo Cross was officially crowned the cheapest hybrid in the country with a starting price of R439,900, undercutting the previous title holder – the Toyota Corolla Cross – by R54,500.

That same week, Chery introduced the new Tiggo 7 CSH, which in contrast to the Tiggo Cross, is a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) capable of fully-electric driving.

The Tiggo 7 CSH starts at R619,900, which is R20,000 less than the country’s previous “entry-level” PHEV – the BYD Sealion 6.

In other words, Chery now offers the cheapest HEV and PHEV in South Africa.

Two months later, the company released the new Tiggo 8 CSH, another PHEV with a sticker of R729,900, making it the flagship of the Chery family.

At least, that was the case for just over a week, because later in August we got the new Tiggo 9 CSH – the brand’s largest and most luxurious SUV to date,

Prices for the Tiggo 9 start at R689,900, but this figure can go all the way up to R989,900 for the range-topping PHEV, making it the most expensive Chery in South Africa.

So, Chery has aggressively expanded into the nation’s new-energy vehicle (NEV) market, which leaves us with the question: how well are these models selling?

Luckily, we now know the answer to this question, as the automaker recently announced its sales figures for August 2025:

• Chery Tiggo Cross CSH – 122 units
• Chery Tiggo 7 CSH – 50 units
• Chery Tiggo 8 CSH – 33 units
• Chery Tiggo 9 CSH – 22 units

In total, Chery sold 227 hybrids, which works out to 10.1% of the 2,228 sales it achieved last month.

It’s an impressive uptake given how little time these cars have actually been on the market for, especially when you consider that August was the launch month for the Tiggo 8 and Tiggo 9.

“This is a clear sign that drivers are ready to embrace electrification when it’s delivered with the right balance of technology, efficiency, and value,” said Jay Jay Botes, General Manager for Chery South Africa.

The carmaker stated that its goal was to lower the cost of hybrid cars in South Africa, which have long been gate-kept behind premium brands with exorbitant prices.

“Chery’s approach is simple: advanced cars should be within reach of more people. While electrification is often reserved for the premium end of the market, Chery has focused on democratising hybrid and plug-in hybrid technology,” it said.

“Our goal has always been to make smarter, cleaner driving accessible to more people,” added Botes.

“Seeing how quickly drivers have responded to our line-up of new energy models shows that South Africans are ready for this shift, and we’re proud to be the brand helping them make it.”

A big year for electrified cars

This year has welcomed in a wave of new hybrid and electric vehicles, many of which have set new benchmarks for affordability.

Going in to 2025, the cheapest PHEV in South Africa was the R1-million BMW X1 xDrive30e, but entry prices have since dropped below R700,000 with the launch of the BYD Sealion 6 and the Chery Tiggo 7 CSH.

HEV prices have also dropped with the release of the Chery Tiggo Cross and the MG3, which starts at R469,900.

Electric cars have made even greater strides, as BYD has finally ushered in the Dolphin Surf – a battery-powered hatchback that costs just R339,900.

Based on all of this, it’s possible that 2025 will be remembered as the year where new-energy vehicles finally became accessible to the mass market, though there’s obviously still plenty of room for carmakers to introduce even more affordable models in the near future.