Popular Chinese automaker Chery has officially unwrapped the Himla, its first-ever bakkie.
According to Australian publication Carsales, the swanky-looking Chery double cab is earmarked for a South African introduction come 2026.
The Himla has been an open secret for well over a year as it has been spotted testing in dozens of countries around the globe, but it has now finally been unveiled to the world.
The automaker has yet to reveal much about the high-rider, only showing visitors at the Shanghai Auto Show in China the design and a few key specifications.
Chery confirmed that it will be equipped with an in-house-developed turbocharged diesel engine, as well as with a hybrid powerline.
Later down the line, a pure-electric model should also become available.
Moreover, the company said the Himla’s development was centred around four main pillars – loading, crossing, camping, and towing.
This suggests that the company plans to pitch its product at the off-road crowd, and that we should see a payload capacity of around one tonne and towing capacity of 3.5 tonnes.
The show car wore 19-inch alloy wheels, sleek LED headlights flanking a large grille with bold CHERY lettering, and a sports bar and tubliner for the cargo box.
Inside, the driver gets a fully digital instrument binnacle while a sizeable infotainment screen adorns the centre of the dash.
There’s also the typical Chery leather multifunction steering wheel, as well as a smattering of premium-looking materials and finishes around the cabin.
It remains uncertain whether the new bakkie will be called the Himla in our market, as Chery has yet to lodge any trademark applications in South Africa for this specific name.
This is something that’s generally done well in advance of a vehicle’s launch as approval and registration on the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission could take some time.
As such, we anticipate seeing a different badge on the Chinese double cab once it touches down here.
sub-R600,000 price tag looking likely
Knowing Chery, the Himla should be a competitively priced offering in South Africa’s fierce double-cab segment.
Its main competition will undoubtedly be the Foton Tunland G7, GWM P-Series/P300, as well as the JAC T9, all three of which likewise hail from the People’s Republic.
Looking at these options can thus give us an accurate indication of the price bracket Chery might be targeting.
The Tunland G7 retails from a minimum of R399,900 in double-cab guise, whereas the JAC T9 starts at R549,900 and goes up from there.
The four-door P-Series sells for R444,650, while its slightly more upmarket brother, the P300, comes in at no less than R599,900.
Given that Chery tends to undercut its arch rival, GWM, we expect the Himla to be marginally more affordable than the P300 in South Africa.
This should see it come in somewhere between R500,000 and R600,000 in current market conditions.
If the exchange rate keeps going up between now and when the bakkie is launched, it should be closer to the upper bound of this price bracket.
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