Range Rover and Jaecoo mixed new Chery Tiggo 7 Sport emerges

Set to go on-sale in China within the coming weeks, the images have emerged of what is likely to be Chery’s most controversial model since the infamous Chevrolet Spark/Daewoo Matiz-aping QQ3.

Naming irony

Pictured at a reported dealership, the new Tiggo 7 Sport bears no resemblance to the standard Tiggo 7 Pro, but rather the appearance of the Discovery Sport and the Range Rover Evoque grafted onto the Tansuo 06 in a rebadging capacity.

In addition to the grille, the font of the Chery badge on the bonnet looks similar to that of the Sport and Evoque, while the headlights have been redesigned to resemble the British pair rather than the regular Tansuo 06, known outside China as the Jaecoo J7.

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Outwardly unsurprising given Discovery and Range Rover parent company JLR’s partnership with Chery, plus the irony of Tansuo being translated into English as Discovery, the final product is still likely to attract attention from Solihull given the closer than usual similarities with its products.

Besides the grille and headlights, the Tiggo 7 Sport boasts an Evoque-style front bumper and side air intakes, vents on the bonnet and almost identically-looking alloy wheels.

Unchanged from the Tansuo 06 and J7 is the rear-end styling that simply reads Tiggo 7 Sport to the left of the numberplate, as opposed to the former descriptions.

Same engine

According to Chinese website Fast Technology, which posted the images first, the Tiggo 7 Sport is set to retain the 1.6 T-GDI engine, but with the same 145kW/290Nm outputs as the J7 rather than the 137kW/275Nm made by the Tansuo 06.

Either way, a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission will be the sole option, though, as evident by the badge, all-wheel-drive will be included as an option over regular front-wheel-drive.

Unlikely until otherwise said

Further depicted with little having changed inside, the publication reports a starting price of around 100 000 yuan (R247 792) with an exact specification to be known later.

For now, it remains unknown as to whether the Tiggo 7 Sport will be heading to South Africa based not only on the availability of the J7, but also on the positioning of Jaecoo and fellow Chery brand Omoda as separate entities from its parent under the O&J brand.

Until a formal announcement is made, expect the Tiggo 7 Sport to remain a Chinese-market exclusive for the time being.

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