The new Chery Tiggo Cross HEV has officially hit the local market, arriving as the most affordable traditional hybrid in South Africa. Here’s what this Chinese HEV costs…
The new Chery Tiggo Cross HEV – which wears the Chery Super Hybrid (CSH) badge – has officially launched in South Africa as the local market’s most affordable traditional hybrid.
Available in a duo of trim levels, the introduction of the new hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) powertrain effectively doubles the size of the local Tiggo Cross line-up to 4 derivatives. As a reminder, this nameplate launched in Mzansi back in November 2024, offered with a turbocharged petrol mill.
In contrast, the new Tiggo Cross HEV is powered by a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine (generating 71 kW and 118 Nm) along with an electric motor that draws its urge from a 1.83 kWh battery pack. According to Chery, this traditional hybrid powertrain has total system outputs of 150 kW and 310 Nm.
The Chinese automaker claims a combined fuel consumption figure of 5.4 L/100 km, which it says can result in a single-tank range of 1 000 km. A stop-start system is included as standard, along with 4 drive specific hybrid drive modes: pure electric, series hybrid, parallel hybrid and energy recovery.
So, what do these new front-driven hybrid derivatives cost? Well, the Chery Tiggo Cross 1.5 HEV Comfort is priced at R439 900, undercutting the Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 HEV XS (R494 400) by considerable R54 500 to grab the title of SA’s cheapest traditional hybrid. The Chery Tiggo Cross 1.5 HEV Elite, meanwhile, is priced at R469 900, also making it more affordable than the locally built Corolla Cross HEV as well as the Haval Jolion Pro 1.5 HEV Ultra Luxury (R519 950).
Both the Comfort and Elite grades include derivative-specific 17-inch alloy wheels, front ventilated brake discs, rear disc brakes, automatic LED headlamps, LED daytime running lights, a tailgate spoiler and chrome-effect exhaust trim. The Elite variant furthermore boasts red-painted brake callipers and an electric sunroof.
These keyless-entry-equipped derivatives also ship with black leather upholstery, ambient lighting, rain-sensing wipers, 2-zone climate control, wireless smartphone charging, dual 10.25-inch screens (a digital instrument cluster and a touchscreen) and a reverse-view camera. The Elite trim level gains 6-way power-adjustment for the driver’s seat, a leather finish for the steering wheel and a 360-degree camera system, while also upgrading from 4 to 6 sound-system speakers.
Standard safety kit includes traction control, hill-descent control and dual-front, front-side and side-curtain airbags (with the Elite variant further scoring a front “inter-seat” airbag). The Elite specification adds adaptive cruise control, an automatic braking system, blind-spot detection, front-collision warning, intelligent high-beam control, lane-change assistance, lane-departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert and traffic-congestion assistance.
See our Exclusive Launch PricesSource: Cars.co.za