► Chery is latest Chinese car firm to launch in UK
► Tiggo 8 PHEV is its first car
► Seven-seat SUV makes UK debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed
Chery is the latest Chinese car brand to announce it will launch in the UK, with the firm set to start selling cars later this summer with its Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid.
Making its UK public and debut at this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Tiggo 8 SUV will be the first car to be sold as a ‘Chery’, despite the automotive group already selling cars here under its Omoda and Jaecoo sub-brands.
Both of these have already made their stamp in Britain, selling 6,941 and 8,399 cars in the first six months of 2024 alone. That’s more than well-established mainstream car firms such as Fiat and Jeep sold in the same period.
The Tiggo 8 will be the first Chery car in the UK to be sold with seven seats, though given it’s labelled as a ‘5+2’ arrangement, the third row is expected to be tight for space.
Using a 1.5-litre petrol engine as its base, it’s paired to an electric motor for a combined 201bhp and 269lb ft of torque. An 18.4kWh battery also allows for up to a claimed 56 miles of EV range, with Chery claiming it’s capable of driving up to 765 miles on both power sources.
The exterior styling is inoffensive, with a fairly smart chrome grille despite its size and a rear that has a whiff of Kia Sportage about it, no bad thing. A twin screen headlines the interior, with standard equipment including adaptive cruise control, a 12-speaker Sony sound system and a panoramic sunroof.
Set to be primarily sold at dealerships with existing Omoda and Jaecoo franchises, it will come with a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty.
Pricing and full specs for the Chery Tiggo 8 are still being finalised, though are expected to be announced in the next few weeks, but we expect it to start from just above £30,000, putting it against the MG HS and Nissan X-Trail.
Chery UK country director, Farrell Hsu, said: ‘Goodwood is one of the most prestigious stages in the automotive world – so there’s no better place to reveal Chery’s most versatile and refined hybrid SUV to a UK audience.
‘The Chery Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid is a perfect expression of what Chery stands for: smart technology, generous space and electrified efficiency without compromise. It’s designed to make people happy, knowing they’ve made the smart choice for their next SUV.’
Geely is one of several new Chinese car brands which have recently announced their plans to enter the UK. MG revealed its IM5 and IM6 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed as more of a premium sub-brand. BYD-owned Denza is also out in full force at the FOS with its chunky B5 4×4, while Geely, the Chinese owners of Lotus and Volvo, also confirmed it would soon start selling a car under its own name in the UK.