Chery’s latest crossover made its first public appearance in South Africa at the Festival of Motoring (FoM) this past weekend.
Known as the Chery Cross, the incoming model is a brand-new badge that will serve to round out the automaker’s catalogue of SUVs once it hits the market this November.
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The first thing to mention concerning the new Cross is its name, as it breaks away from the convention established by Chery’s existing line-up of the Tiggo 4 Pro, Tiggo 7 Pro, and Tiggo 8 Pro.
This makes it less clear as to where the Cross fits in Chery’s roster in terms of size and pricing, but the company recently confirmed to TopAuto that the newcomer will slot between the Tiggo 4 and 7.
While this implies that the logical name for the Cross would have been something like the Tiggo 5 or 6, the Chinese carmaker has evidently chosen to go with a different marketing strategy for this model.
Even the staff on hand at the Chery display at FoM were unsure as to why the Cross got the name that it did, though one explanation might be that Chery is trying to replicate the naming style of South Africa’s biggest car brand, as the Toyota Corolla Cross is likely to be a major competitor to the Chinese model.
In terms of specs and performance, a company representative explained that it is best to think of the Cross as a high-end Tiggo 4 Pro that will split the difference between the former and the Tiggo 7 Pro.
What this means in practical terms is that the Cross is fitted with the 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine found in the top-spec Tiggo 4 and base Tiggo 7, which produces 108kW and 210Nm.
Additionally, the newcomer is forgoing the less-engaging CVT transmission entirely in favour of a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
It’s worth pointing out that the Tiggo 7 and 8 are also sold in a higher-grade Max specification, but the Cross will not act as a Max variant for the Tiggo 4.
The reason is that the Max units are defined by a more powerful engine, while the Cross uses the same powerplant as the mainline Tiggo 4 and 7.
Sadly, Chery does not currently have any plans for a Tiggo 4 Pro Max, according to a company spokesperson.
The crossover’s equipment list will only be announced closer to its launch date, but the display model at FoM showed many of the hallmarks of the brand’s SUVs, like a pair of 10.25-inch screens on the dashboard and a wireless charging pad.
Regarding its pricing, the company explained to TopAuto that the Cross is looking at an indicative price point around the R490,000 mark.
Chery Cross at the 2024 Festival of Motoring
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