Chery SA has been hard at work building its dealership network and launching its product portfolio, but one model has not yet been confirmed for South Africa. This is the Chery Tiggo 2 Pro.
Chery South Africa has two current offerings, the Tiggo 4 Pro and the Tiggo 8 Pro and we’ve driven both. The Tiggo 4 Pro offers commendable levels of features at a pocket-friendly price, while the Tiggo 8 Pro is a luxury 7-seater family SUV.
There’s still one more vehicle to be launched in South Africa, the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro, which sits between the two. Think of it as the equivalent to the Mazda CX range with CX-3, CX-30 and CX-5. Now while we’re not complaining about the current Chery Tiggo 4 Pro’s aggressive pricing, we do feel that there’s room for an entry-level crossover sitting below that.
Does such a product exist? Meet the Chery Tiggo 2 Pro. At first glance, it looks a bit like the Hyundai Kona with those narrow headlights, but the bodywork has all the makings of an urban crossover/compact SUV. With so many hatchbacks adopting offroad-looking bodywork and a raised ground clearance, it starts to make a business case a bit more feasible.
There’s not really a size clash with the bigger Tiggo 4 Pro. The 4 is 4318 mm long and has a wheelbase of 2610 mm, while the compact Tiggo 2 Pro is 4200 mm long and has a wheelbase of 2555 mm.
As far as engines go, we can see that the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro is offered with the 1.5-litre turbocharged motor, paired with an automatic gearbox. Outputs of 108 kW and 210 Nm are on par for the segment. There’s also a naturally-aspirated petrol engine with 83 kW and 138 Nm. Chery’s international site says the Tiggo 2 Pro has the same engines available.
If the Tiggo 2 Pro were to launch in South Africa, the differentiation will come in terms of features and standard equipment. Both the Tiggo 4 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro are well equipped, but to keep the price aggressive, we suspect the smaller Tiggo 2 Pro might lose nice to haves like the digital dashboard, climate control and wireless charging.
Then there’s the issue of pricing. As it stands, the cheapest Tiggo 4 Pro is R274 900. Tiggo 2 Pro has the same engine, and same platform, but is physically smaller with a reduced level of features. We estimate it could be successful if it the range was priced in the R235 000 – R285 000 bracket.
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