Incoming Chery Tiggo Cross previewed alongside Tiggo 4 Pro van

Its monthly sales now passed 1 500 units three years after its high profile market return, Chery used the first day of the Kyalami Festival of Motoring on Thursday (29 August) to unveil a new commercial version of the Tiggo 4 Pro, as well as the incoming new Tiggo Cross.

Tiggo 4 Pro Panel Van

Billed as a more cost effective alternative to a bakkie, the van uses the entry-level Tiggo 4 Pro LiT as a converted base, albeit without a reduction in specification items.

Of course, the biggest change resides at the rear where the seats have been removed and a metal partition with a mesh cage placed behind the front seats.

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Along with the rear windows being fixed, but not the doors, the loading surface measures 1 508mm x 1 255mm x 941mm with a maximum load volume of 1 500-litres. An exact payload figure wasn’t revealed.

As for the mentioned spec, the panel van receives the touch-sensitive climate control panel, the 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the four-speaker sound system, LED daytime running lights, 16-inch alloy wheels and rear parking sensors.

Also standard is a reverse camera, push-button start and keyless entry, dual front airbags, a tyre pressure monitor, height adjustable multi-function steering wheel and traction control.

Up front, the normally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine sends 83kW/138Nm to the front wheels via either a five-speed manual gearbox or an optional CVT.

Respectively priced at R339 900 and R374 900, the Tiggo 4 Pro Panel Van’s sticker prices include the five-year/100 000 km warranty, the three-year/30 000 km service plan and the first owner only 10-year/1 000 000 km engine warranty.

Tiggo Cross

Hinted at earlier this month following its discovery on Chery Australia’s website, the Tiggo Cross, which will become the Tiggo 4 Pro Down Under, plugs the gap between the Tiggo 4 Pro and Tiggo 7 Pro in South Africa rather than replacing the former outright.

Adopting, therefore, a similar product undertaken to rival Great Wall Motors’ new Haval Jolion, the Cross will, seemingly, replace higher-spec version of the Tiggo 4 Pro with trim grades of its own once sales commence in November.

Shown in a pre-production model capacity at the Festival of Motoring, the local market model will, however, be equipped with a 10.5-inch infotainment system, a restyled dashboard and new seats, a more powerful 50-watt wireless smartphone charger, seven airbags and an improved Hello Chery voice recognition system.

Measuring 4 318 mm long, 1 831 mm wide, 1 662 mm high and 2 610 mm long on the wheelbase front, the sole drivetrain expected is the 1.5 T-GDI from the Tiggo 4 Pro producing 108 kW, but 20 additional Newton Metres for a total of 230 Nm.

Replacing both the CVT and seven-speed dual-clutch transmissions is a six-speed dual-clutch with no manual set to be offered.

Price?

Potentially on-course to be priced ahead of its November debut, expect full specification of the Tiggo Cross to be announced then.

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