China’s Chery announces 2 new SUVs for South Africa – Dates and details

Chinese automaker Chery has announced that it will launch two new SUVs in the domestic market within the next few months.

The first is a new flagship Tiggo 8 Pro Max in all-wheel-drive (AWD) guise that will arrive in March, while a new entry-level variant of the Tiggo 7 Pro Max will follow “shortly thereafter.”

The manufacturer stated that it has seen a highly positive response to the “Max” derivatives following their introduction in December 2022 and October 2023, respectively, with these models being a big driver behind the 1,425 sales it achieved in January that secured it the ninth position in the top 10 best-selling brands in South Africa.

Chery has also stated that hybrid variants of the same SUVs are earmarked for our roads before the end of the year, but didn’t give a specific launch date for these.

What to expect

The Tiggo 8 Pro Max is currently only sold in a single front-wheel drive (FWD) specification at R669,900.

It is endowed with a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol mill generating 187kW and 390Nm that channels drive to the front axle via a seven-speed automatic transmission.

This setup enables the Chery to run to 100km/h in 7.3 seconds whilst returning 7.6l/100km on an average fuel cycle.

Available exclusively in the Executive equipment grade, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max brings nice-to-haves such as a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 12.3-inch central control display with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a Sony stereo, electric leather seats with heating and ventilation, a panoramic sunroof, wireless charging, automatic LED lights with intelligent high-beam adjustment, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, and lane-keep assist.

Considering the new model will be AWD, it’s safe to assume that it will have nearly identical specs to its FWD sibling – bar the ability to twist all four tyres.

An AWD system is usually accompanied by an assortment of off-road terrain settings, so expect the newcomer to have one or more of these, too.

Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max

Unlike the larger Tiggo 8, the Tiggo 7 Pro Max can be had in three flavours including an AWD model, hence the imminent debut of a new, more attainable option.

This Chery employs a 1.6-litre, turbo-petrol plant matched with a seven-speed automatic box to afford the driver 145kW and 290Nm to play with, and it can reach the 100km/h landmark in 8 seconds flat with fuel usage pegged at 7.0l/100km.

Standard kit in the Tiggo 7 Pro Max encompasses a 24.6-inch curved display atop the dash incorporating a digital driver’s display and media screen, Sports seats wrapped in perforated leather with electric adjustment, a Sony stereo, dual-zone climate control, a 1.1sqm panoramic sunroof, an electric tailgate, an around-view camera system, and a wireless charger.

The features list in the new SUV will likely be thinned out a little if it is to be made less pricey, but there should still be more than enough creature comforts to keep buyers satisfied.

The base Tiggo 7 Pro Max is currently listed for R529,900, which should hopefully put the new entry-level version below the R500,000 mark.