Chinese giant Chery reveals details of its first four UK cars
Chery's new SUV line-up includes the cheapest plug-in hybrid and seven-seater on sale. Plus, the brand has plans to develop and build future models in the UK...
Chinese car brand Chery has confirmed it will have four SUVs on sale in the UK within 12 months, while it plans to grow its initial 25 dealerships to around 100 over the same period.
Chery is, perhaps, the biggest car brand you’ve never heard of; although it’s new to these shores, it sold 2.6 million vehicles globally last year.
The first two models to arrive here will be the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8, with deliveries of both beginning in September. The former is a rival to family SUVs, including the Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai. Meanwhile, the latter will take on seven-seaters such as the Hyundai Santa Fe and Peugeot 5008.
A key part of Chery’s appeal will be aggressive pricing. The Tiggo 7 costs from £24,995, whereas the Sportage starts at £30,885 and the Qashqai £30,615. Likewise, the Tiggo 8’s starting price of £28,545 means it undercuts the Santa Fe and 5008 (by a whopping £19,345 and £10,945 respectively).
In both the Tiggo 7 and the Tiggo 8, the entry-level model is powered by a turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine. Alternatively, for a £5000 premium you can have a plug-in hybrid set-up – dubbed Super Hybrid System – which combines a 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor, and officially allows 56 miles of pure electric running.
That is down on the 75 miles of our reigning Plug-in Hybrid of the Year, the MG HS PHEV, but the HS costs £32,245 – £2250 more than the equivalent Tiggo 8.
The Tiggo 9 will be the next model to arrive, with this essentially a more luxurious version of the Tiggo 8. Then we’ll get the Tiggo 4 – Chery’s answer to small SUVs such as the Skoda Kamiq and Volkswagen T-Roc, which should cost from around £20,000.
Having sat in all four cars, we can confirm that the bargain pricing isn’t reflected in build quality; everything feels solid and the materials used look smart. However, the elephant in the room is whether these new SUVs will be any good to drive.
You see, Chery owns Omoda and Jaecoo – two brands that entered the UK market within the last year. And while the first cars from those brands (the Omoda 5 and Jaecoo 7) have their strengths, both are let down by a jittery ride and numb steering.
Still, it won’t be long before we find out if the first Chery models are better in these respects; we’ll be reviewing both the Tiggo 7 and the Tiggo 8 on 8 September.
Beyond details of its first four UK cars, Chery has also confirmed that it will be opening an R&D centre in the UK and is looking at producing cars here in the future.
Chery’s UK CEO Gary Lan, said: “To be a success in the UK, we need to be adaptive [to the specific needs of this market]. Step one of that is UK-specific specifications. Step two is UK engineering. And step three is UK production.”
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