In 2021, Chery managed to deliver a total of 961,926 vehicles, which is a year-on-year increase of 31.7% and a new record for the Chinese carmaker. Equally as impressive is the 269,154 units the company exported last year, an increase of 136.3% from 2020, and more than enough for Chery to keep its top ranking for the export of Chinese passenger vehicles for 19 consecutive years.
Key to Chery’s export success is its “Pro” family of cars, which currently consists of four SUVs – Tiggo 2 Pro, Tiggo 4 Pro, Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro – along with a sole sedan, the Arrizo 6 Pro. These models have already been well received in several markets worldwide, including in Eastern Europe, South America, the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
With Chery set to make a comeback in Malaysia, here’s a rundown of the Pro family and what to expect. Currently, the Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro are already confirmed for our market, with the Omoda 5 also being part of the mix (more on the B-segment crossover from Chery’s new Omoda product series here).
Tiggo 7 Pro
One of three SUVs that Chery Malaysia has already confirmed, the Tiggo 7 Pro is a C-segment SUV with five seats that will take on the likes of the Proton X70, Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Peugeot 3008, Nissan X-Trail and Subaru Forester.
Two engines are available for the Tiggo 7 Pro, both of them turbocharged and with four cylinders. The first is a 1.5 litre unit rated at 150 PS at 5,500 rpm and 230 Nm of torque from 1,750 to 4,000 rpm, with drive sent to the front wheels via a CVT with nine virtual ratios. This engine can also be paired with a 48-volt mild hybrid system to help with fuel efficiency – 5.8 l/100 km instead of 6.8 l/100 km without it.
The other option is a 1.6 litre direct-injected mill with 197 PS and 290 Nm – peak torque comes as soon as 2,000 rpm. Also with front-wheel drive but using a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission instead, the 1.6 litre engine’s fuel consumption is rated at 6.6 l/100 km.
In its home market of China, the Tiggo 7 Pro comes with amenities like remote engine start, power-adjustable front seats with driver’s side memory, “self-cleaning” dual-zone climate control with an ioniser and air quality sensor, a cloud-based infotainment system with a karaoke mode, voice control, over-the-air software updates, a panoramic sunroof and a Sony eight-speaker sound system.
There’s also a more premium version called the Tiggo 7 Plus, which gets fancier dual 12.3-inch screens on the inside, restyled bumpers and a slightly improved interior. The infotainment system also runs on Chery’s Lion 4.0 operating system with Baidu CarLife and Apple CarPlay.
It’s not certain which version we’ll get, but either should come with a good amount of safety kit to compete against rivals. The Tiggo 7 Pro in particular is available with autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane centring assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, speed limit assist, a door opening warning, park assist, automatic high beam, six airbags and stability control.
Tiggo 8 Pro
If a larger body and more seats are what you need, there’s the Tiggo 8 Pro, which is another SUV slated to be launched here. It’s wheelbase of 2,710 mm is longer than the Tiggo 7 Pro’s 2,670 mm, allowing it to fit two more seats for a total of seven.
Occupying the D-segment, alternatives include the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento and Mazda CX-8, with the Hyundai Palisade and CX-9 also in consideration. Like the Tiggo 7 Pro, the Tiggo 8 Pro also comes a comprehensive suite of safety and driver assistance systems, while the rest of the equipment list is competitive too.
Depending on the market it is sold in, the Tiggo 8 Pro comes with features like matrix LED headlights 18-inch wheels, a powered panoramic sunroof, a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation, 10.25-inch infotainment display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless charging tray, dual-zone climate control and leather upholstery.
As for power, the seven-seater sports a 1.6 litre TGDI petrol engine – also shared with the Omoda 5 – that develops 200 PS at 5,500 rpm and 290 Nm of torque from 2,000 to 4,400 rpm. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission sends drive to the front wheels. Other engines from the Acteco range include a 2.0 litre unit as well as a 1.5 litre mill with mild hybrid tech.
According to Chery, the 500,000th unit of Tiggo 8 series recently rolled off the carmaker’s assembly line, making it the fastest model to achieve production mark among Chinese-brand mid-size and seven-seat SUVs.
Tiggo 4 Pro
The Tiggo 4 Pro was one of the SUVs that was mentioned when Chery first announced its return to Malaysia, and the B-segment SUV has been spotted on our roads in the past (it’s also known as the Tiggo 5x in China).
Built on the T1X platform – also used by the Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro – the Tiggo 4 Pro has no shortage of engine options. Depending on the market it is sold in, there are two 1.5 litre engines (113 PS NA and 147 PS turbo in South Africa) and a 124 PS 2.0 litre offered, coupled with a five-speed manual or CVT.
Referring to South Africa specifications, the Tiggo 4 Pro is available with six airbags, the usual array of passive safety systems, keyless entry and engine start, cruise control, LED headlamps, a seven-inch digital instrument cluster as well as a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
Given the Omoda 5 will be Chery Malaysia’s B-segment SUV offering that packs more premium features, it’s likely the Tiggo 4 Pro will be given a miss for our market, although it could still be brought in to fit a more affordable price point.
Tiggo 2 Pro
For something even smaller, we have the A-segment Tiggo 2 Pro (also called the Tiggo 3x Plus), which is currently available in the Philippines with a 1.5 litre NA four-pot making 108 PS and 140 Nm, mated to a CVT with nine virtual speeds. The entry-level of the Pro series measures just 4,200 mm long, 1,760 mm wide, 1,570 mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,555 mm.
Still referring to the Philippines brochure, the Tiggo 2 Pro comes with 16-inch wheels, automatic halogen headlamps, LED DRLs, manual seats, cruise control, manual air-conditioning, keyless entry and start, dual front airbags, a nine-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink as well as 3.5-inch multi-info instrument cluster display.
Arrizo 6 Pro
Moving away from SUVs, the Arrizo 6 Pro competes against the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Mazda 3 in the C-segment sedan market. Also known as the Arrizo 5 Plus, the Chery sedan is built on the M1X platform and features a CVT paired with a 1.5 litre turbo four-cylinder making 147 PS and 210 Nm.
As with all other models mentioned, specifications vary depending on market, and the Arrizo 6 Pro is available with matrix LED headlamps, 17-inch wheels, six airbags, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system, keyless entry and start, a 360-degree camera, autonomous emergency braking and six airbags.
There you have it, a brief overview of the Chery’s current Pro range of cars. As mentioned, the Tiggo 7 Pro, Tiggo 8 Pro and Omoda 5 have already been confirmed as models coming our way, but are you looking forward to the other Pro models as well?
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no
just no
Copy paste: “When Geely first came here, so many negative perception and comments from Malaysians that future Chinese brands became scared to come here and went to other countries instead. They trust the government alrite, they just don’t trust the rakyat who were critical of them. So ini semua salah critical rakyats.”
Who will be bringing in this brand? If it’s Naza then we can forget about it.
ya have to agree with this
Copy paste: “aiks…why not come to Indonesia? Not trust the goverment policy there?? keke… understand”
Price that Tiggo 8 Pro at 70k max with 1 million KM guarantee and I’ll buy it.
One of my siblings bought a brand new Chery SUV before. The layer covering the interior ceiling fell down after a few years. She had to staple it. Now the car is literally missing at a workshop somewhere. And she doesn’t bother to get it back because it’s totally undriveable. That showed how incompetent & lousy the people behind the brand.
While the design seems to be a knockoff of other designs (sedan looks like the new Almera , SUV looks like Hyundai Kone), I think overall it’s a massive improvement compared to what they were offering earlier (Tiggo, Easter, etc)
Why can’t the Chinese have original design?
another rubbish brand.. forget it.. only toyota, long lasting