Chery officially details super-sized new Tiggo 9 Pro

Its line-up until now, headed by the Tiggo 8 Pro, Chery, following the uncovering of a number of images in December, has officially detailed the new Tiggo 9 Pro in China ahead of the commencing of sales.

Homage exterior

The marque’s longest and most luxurious offering aimed at the Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe, the Tiggo 9 Pro sports a frontal design with a Mercedes-AMG-type Panamericana grille, thin LED headlights, L-shaped side vents and a blade-design lower bumper underscored by a prominent air intake.

Bearing similarities with the Lincoln Navigator when viewed from the side, the influence of Ford’s upscale division continues in the design of the 20-inch alloy wheels, the side vents and way the light clusters have been integrated in the wings.

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At the rear, the Tiggo 9 Pro shares very little design aspects with its any siblings as the curved design, made-up of the LED light clusters, central chrome bar and flat bootlid, bears a notable resemblance to the Audi Q8.

New interior design

Not seen with the uncovering of the initial batch of images last year, the Tiggo 9 Pro’s interior differs in the biggest way possible from that of the Tiggo 4 Pro, Tiggo 7 Pro and the Tiggo 8 Pro.

In addition to a flowing dash complete with a trio of centrally positioned Mercedes-Benz-esque turbine-style air vents, the centre console conforms to a minimalist design as it houses a pair of storage areas, touch-sensitive buttons and a dial seemingly for the infotainment system or audio.

Continuing with the Mercedes-Benz touches, the infotainment display measures 12.3-inches and sits opposite a digital instrument cluster of the same size, complete with graphics and readouts no other Tiggo Pro model features.

The flush design sees the departure not only of the Audi-style lower climate control panel, but also the gear lever that has been relocated to the steering column.

Power only for now

In China, the Tiggo 9 Pro will provide seating for five or seven and while a plug-in hybrid drivetrain with a rumoured 236 kW is expected at a later stage, initially, only one setup will be offered; the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol from the Tiggo 8 Pro Max that sends 187kW/390Nm to front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Based on Chery’s T1X platform and measuring 4 820 mm long, 1 930 mm wide and 1 690 mm high while riding on a 2 820 mm long wheelbase, the Tiggo 9 Pro carries a starting price of 160 000 Yuan (R425 578) in China with sales in other markets due commencing soon.

South African debut likely?

For now, the Tiggo 9 Pro has not been confirmed for South Africa, but given the local market’s importance for the brand that has sold 10 000 vehicles since returning in 2021, expect it to arrive on local soil well before the end of the year.

Additional information and images from motor1.com Brazil.

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