A budget Toyota RAV4 hybrid rival? 2023 Chery Tiggo 9 large SUV revealed as plug-in hybrid car, will Australia get it?

A Chinese large hybrid SUV to rival the likes of the Kia Sorento and Toyota Kluger could come to Australia if Chery decides to bring the new Tiggo 9 here.

Just revealed in China, the Tiggo 9 is a large SUV in the same family as the Tiggo 7 Pro and 8 Pro, both of which are already confirmed for an Australian launch this year.

Set to be available as a five-seat or seven-seater, the latter featuring a two-seat middle row, the Tiggo 9 can be powered by either a 195kW/400Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine or a version of that with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain.

Read More About Chery

Chery is back, but is it better? MG, BYD, GWM rival promises it has changed China's hybrid Ford Bronco or Land Rover Defender? Chery sub-brand's Jetour Traveller SUV is China's answer to stylish off-roading Want a Chery Omoda 5 EV? Here's when you can have this electric car rival to the MG ZS EV and BYD Atto 3

According to a report from Car News China, Chery says the PHEV version will hit 100km/h in 4.5 seconds, although it hasn't confirmed drivetrain outputs.

Chery's international website doesn't yet feature the Tiggo 9, as it's set to make its physical public debut at the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show in about three weeks.

This comes as Chery relaunched in Australia in February after a decade away, beginning with the Omoda 5 small SUV - a rival for the MG ZS and Nissan Qashqai.

The Tiggo 9 can be powered by either a 195kW/400Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine or a version of that with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain.

CarsGuide has contacted Chery Motors Australia for more information, including whether the Tiggo 9 is likely to make it to Australia if available.

"Four models - the Omoda 5 EX+, Omoda 5 EX+ AWD, Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro - will join the Omoda 5 before the end of 2023, while Chery's electrification journey will continue in 2024 with the innovative Omoda 5 BEV," a Chery spokesperson told us.

"Chery Motor will most certainly be growing our presence and model range in Australia," we were told in late February after an unrelated query.

Chery's marketing manager Zoe Zhang previously told CarsGuide that the resurrected brand has "many products, and all will be considered for the Australian market".