Arrival imminent? Chery starts teasing Tiggo 8 Pro Max AWD

Surprisingly absent from the line-up refresh last year, Chery has but confirmed the imminent arrival of the all-wheel-drive version of the Tiggo 8 Pro Max via a series of teaser images on social media.

Teasing

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Set to become its overall flagship model, and also its most expensive, the images posted on Chery South Africa’s Instagram page confirms the all-paw gripping system by means of a AWD badge on the right of the bootlid.

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While no further details are known at present, Wuhu’s first non-front-wheel-drive on local soil will feature a permanent setup, with a likely expansion of the current Normal and Sport driving modes expected.

Power to all fours

Although certain to continue with the front-wheel-drive model’s 2.0 T-GDI engine that pumps out 187kW/390Nm, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max AWD could see a ground clearance increase to 207 mm from its sibling’s 203 mm.

The in-house developed seven-speed dual-clutch transmission will be retained, along with the same specification items as the front-wheel-drive.

Hybrid to follow

Announced as having received approval for South Africa on the sidelines of the Shanghai Auto Show last year, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max AWD will eventually form part of a two model line-up expansion this year when the plug-in hybrid goes on-sale.

Shown at the New Journey, New Life International User Summit in October, the Tiggo 8 Pro Hybrid combines the 1.5 T-GDI engine from the Tiggo 7 Pro and Omoda C5 with a 19.27-kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

Paired to a unique three-speed transmission called Direct Hybrid Transmission or DHT, the setup delivers a reported 180kW/510Nm, although in other markets, a maximum of 240kW/545Nm has been rumoured.

The claimed all-electric range varies from 80 km to as much as 110 km, with Chery also claiming a theoretical range in combined electric and combustion forms of 1 000 km.

“As our short history in South Africa has shown, we do not simply enter a new market segment with a new model. We cannot wait to introduce [the Hybrid] in South Africa,” Chery South Africa Deputy Executive General Manager, Tony Liu, said in a statement, last year.

Pricing unknown

For the time being, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max AWD takes prevalence and while an official date-of-reveal hasn’t been disclosed, expectations are an announcement will be made soon.

As a comparison, the front-wheel-drive Max brandishes a sticker price of R669 900, which will most likely breach the R700 000 mark for the all-wheel-drive.

However, this is open to speculation and will only be confirmed once made official by Chery South Africa.

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