Chery confirms Jeep rival for Australia
J Series yet to be seen, but will be here by late 2023 – after Chery Omoda 5, Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro SUVsAustralia will be one of the first counties in the world where ambitious Chinese returnee Chery will sell a still-secret new SUV line-up known internally as the J Series.
To be pitched as an urban off-roader with Jeep overtones, the J Series is expected on sale in Australia by late 2023.
As we reported here, Chery will return to Australia in either late 2022 or early 2023 with the launch of the Omoda 5 compact SUV.
The slightly larger Tiggo 7 Pro medium SUV and the seven-seat Tiggo 8 Pro large SUV will go on sale in 2023 before the J Series arrives.
They will be followed by a stream of orthodox and plug-in models as the state-owned enterprise seeks record-setting sales growth in Australia over the next five years.
The launch schedule was revealed to carsales during a briefing by Andy Zhang, the boss of Chery’s new Australian subsidiary and the executive vice-president of Chery International, Charlie Zhang.
“Next year we will launch Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro and another new product, J Series,” Andy Zhang confirmed.
While details of the J Series are still hush-hush, Chery Australia is already actively promoting the Omoda 5 and the Tiggo on social media.
Examples of all three SUVs have been in Australia for testing and clinics since October.
Compared to the 4.4m long Omoda 5, the Tiggo 7 Pro measures up at 4.5m, making it slightly smaller than a the top-selling Toyota RAV4, and the seven-seat Tiggo 8 Pro at 4.72m, making it about as big as the Toyota Kluger.
While the Omoda 5 is brand-new and, as Chery’s first global model, presents a new ‘Art in Motion’ design language for the brand, a comprehensive line-up of Tiggo models has been on sale in China for some years.
However, the facelifted second-generation Tiggo 7 Pro has just gone on sale in China, while the Tiggo 8 Pro is based on a model that’s been around since 2018, although this version was only released in late 2021.
In China the Chery Tiggo 7 comes powered by a choice of 1.5-litre and 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engines, with a plug-in powertrain to come. The Tiggo 8 has 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre turbo-petrol choices and a plug-in hybrid option.
“Tiggo 7 Pro is an urban entry luxury SUV with both technology configuration and fashionable exterior, which is filled with a sense of youth and fashion,” Andy Zhang said in his presentation to carsales.
“As a flagship model of Tiggo family, Tiggo 8 Pro is a large seven-seat luxury and commercial medium-sized SUV oriented to the new rich urban people who are successful in business and have a taste for quality life.”
Tiggo 7 Pro equipment includes a 7.0-inch multi-function LCD instrument cluster, 10.25-inch central control screen, an 8.0-inch intelligent air-conditioning touch-screen and intelligent voice assistant.
Confirmed Tiggo 8 equipment includes ADAS functions such as adaptive cruise control (ACC), 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and central control screens and an 8.0-inch intelligent air-conditioning touch screen.
Like the Omoda 5, the Tiggos are based on Chery’s T1X modular architecture that’s been around since 2016. T1X can support EV, hybrid and orthodox powertrains.
Related: China’s Chery ready for Australian relaunch
Related: First Chery prototypes headed to Oz for local feedback
Related: Confirmed: Chinese brand Chery returning to Australia
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