Chery Tiggo 7 PRO News

It broke the ice, unveiling the first Chinese passenger car to hit the Aussie new car market when its city-sized J1 hatch arrived here in 2011.

Chinese carmaker Jaecoo has confirmed its J5 small SUV will go on sale in the United Kingdom paving the way for the small SUV’s entrance to Australia.The J5 looks very much like the J7 mid-sized SUV only smaller, measuring 4.3m in length, and rivalling the Kia Seltos, Mitsubishi ASX and Mazda CX-30.The J5 will debut in the UK with a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.In the UK the five-seater SUV will go on sale in two trim levels: the Pure and the Luxury.Coming standard on the Pure will be a six-speaker stereo, power adjustable front seats and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Stepping up to the Luxury will add a panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats and wireless phone charging.Jaecoo is the luxury-focussed sub-brand of Chery and currently has two SUVs on sale in Australia - the mid-sized J7 and the J8 large SUV.The J5 will definitely be making its way to Australia as well, but as to when this will happen is unknown. Recently Jaecoo Australia’s Chief Commercial Officer, Roy Munoz, confirmed the J5 is headed to Australia to CarsGuide, but didn't reveal timing.Pricing for the J5 hasn't been announced in the UK nor Australia, but buyers can be certain it will be less than the J7 and the J8.As a guide the J7 starts at $34,990 drive-away and the entry grade J8 is $49,990.Jaecoo doesn't have any electric vehicles on sale currently in Australia with both the J7 and J8 using petrol engines, but the J7 is also available with plug-in hybrid power.Jaecoo is a very new brand to Australia having only arrived in May this year and follows its parent company Chery, which launched its vehicles here in 2023.Currently Chery has several models on sale in Australia including the petrol powered C5 small SUV and its E5 electric twin, while there’s three hybrid SUVs also available: the small Tiggo 4, the mid-sized Tiggo 7 and the large Tiggo 8. 

Chery sticks it to its key Chinese rivals with ultra-affordable plug-in hybrid versions of its two mid-size SUVs

Chery Australia has confirmed it’ll introduce plug-in hybrid (PHEV) technology this July with the updated Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 SUVs.

The Chery Tiggo 7 Pro SUV is now Australia's cheapest mid-sized SUV as the Chinese brand transitions from a three- to a two-variant line-up, cutting the entry price by $7000. Priced at just $29,990, drive-away, a new SE variant will replace the previous Urban ($36,990) entry grade, while an additional SE+ variant will now top the range at $33,990, drive-away, down $12,000 from the previous top-spec Ultimate AWD ($45,990). The former mid-spec Elite ($41,990) is gone altogether.The updated line-up makes it $2010 less than the KGM Ssangyong Korando, which previously held the title of Australia's cheapest mid-size SUV at $32,000, drive-away.It is also now about $4000 cheaper than key rivals such as the MG HS and Haval H6, which start at $33,990 and $33,900 (both drive-away), respectively.The Toyota RAV4 and the Mitsubishi Outlander are at least $10,000 more, with either model starting at $39,760 and $37,760, both at before on-road costs.Unlike its aforementioned rivals, however, the Tiggo 7 Pro remains without a hybrid or plug-in hybrid offering.Despite the substantial price cut, the SE will maintain important features such as the dual-screen 12.3-inch multimedia and digital driver’s display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.An eight-speaker Sony speaker system, 18-inch alloy wheels, a full-sized spare wheel and 16 drive-assist safety systems will remain as well.The SE+ adds a panoramic sunroof, a surround-view camera, a cabin air-filtration system, a power tailgate and heated front seats.As before, power will be sourced from a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that outputs 137kW/275Nm to the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.Claimed fuel economy is unchanged at 7.0-litres/100km, which is considerably higher than than the entry RAV4 GX hybrid at a claimed 4.8-litres/100km, but 0.5-litres less than the entry-level, petrol-powered Outlander ES.The Tiggo 7 Pro comes with a five-star ANCAP safety rating, a seven-year unlimited km warranty, seven years of capped price servicing and up to seven years of roadside assistance.It is available to order from dealerships right now.

Why Chery is confident it will hit the top 10 - but says it may take time.

From a standing start less than 12 months ago challenger brand Chery has steadily built its local presence from the original Omoda 5 small SUV, through the mid-size Tiggo 7 Pro SUV, and most recently, confirmation the three-row Tiggo 8 Pro Max will join the Chinese maker’s Australian line-up in May this year.

193,433. That's how many Chinese-built vehicles were sold in Australia in 2023, with that number soaring from 122,845 in 2022, 76,262 in 2021, and just 30,696.

Why Chery's cars in 2030 could be coming all the way from the UK.

The Chery Tiggo 7 Pro has been awarded a full five-star ANCAP safety rating, with the Chinese SUV scoring high enough in the crash body's four core ratings to receive the top star rating across all of its variants.It's a much-needed return to form for Chi