The first shipment of Chery Tiggo 7 Pro models is en route to South Africa.

The local introduction of Chery’s third unique model range follows the success of the model range in other parts of the world, notably Russia, the Middle East and South America.

“Chery is a much-loved brand in many countries that have a similar buying profile, road network and infrastructure as South Africa. For instance, in Russia, the model has been so successful that it has become one of the most popular SUVs in its class.” says Tony Liu, Executive Deputy General Manager of Chery South Africa.

The Tiggo 7 Pro has seen similar success in South America. In Peru, for instance, the Tiggo 7 Pro was the model range with the most votes in the recent Most Loved Brands competition. This helped Chery to earn the title as Peru’s Most Loved Chinese Brand.

In Chile, the Tiggo 7 Pro has boosted Chery sales to a top 5 position in the country, with other models such as the Tiggo 8 Pro also performing exceedingly well.

Further East in Qatar, the Tiggo 7 Pro was recently recognised as the best-selling SUV in the two-wheel drive class. This after only six months on the market in that country.

“We first launched the Tiggo 7 Pro in Russia, where it quickly proved its mettle in both hot and cold conditions. The next phase has seen the Tiggo 7 Pro land in markets such as Brazil, Egypt, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Uruguay and the Philippines.

“Having now been fully tested and homologated for South Africa, we can join the global launch schedule and plan to deliver the first Tiggo 7 Pro models to customers in the next couple of weeks,” says Liu.

The Tiggo 7 Pro will slot in above the Tiggo 4 Pro and below the Tiggo 8 Pro, in price, specification and size.

The model has been designed to appeal to the upper-midrange SUV market, with a comprehensive range of specifications, above average luxury and the modern technology that Chery has become known for in South Africa.

All Tiggo 7 Pro models will be powered by Chery’s next-generation 1.5 litre turbo-petrol engine with 108 kW and 210 Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a new CVT transmission with 9 in-built gear steps.

As on other Tiggo Pro models, the Tiggo 7 Pro has no shortage of technology. This includes a digital instrument panel, a full HD infotainment system and digital controls for the climate control centre.

“Many of the features that our South African customers have come to love, will also be available on the Tiggo 7 Pro range. These include our omnidirectional airbag system, our 360-degree camera array for easy low-speed manoeuvring and parking and our Chery Voice Command system,” says Liu.

Chery will announce more details of the Tiggo 7 Pro range closer to the official launch date.