Updated versions of the five-seat Chery Tiggo 7 and seven-seat Tiggo 8 SUVs are due to launch in July with plug-in hybrid technology, a first for the brand in Australia.
Chery will launch its first plug-in hybrid vehicles in Australia with updated versions of its five-seat Tiggo 7 and seven-seat Tiggo 8 SUVs.
They will debut a new front end – arriving just 12 to 18 months after each vehicle launched in Australia – and are set to follow the lead of the smaller Tiggo 4 in dropping the 'Pro' and 'Pro Max' suffixes from their names.
The Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 PHEVs feature a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, a single electric motor, an 18.3kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery, and a one-speed dedicated hybrid automatic transmission.
While Chery hasn't confirmed exact details for Australia, the Jaecoo J7 SHS PHEV – a close relation to the Tiggo 7 – combines a 105kW/215Nm version of the 1.5-litre turbo with a 150kW/310Nm front electric motor for a 255kW/525Nm combined system output.
An electric-only driving range of "over" 90 kilometres and a total driving range "exceeding" 1200 kilometres is claimed for the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 PHEVs.
Last year, Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris told Drive its PHEVs will not cost "exorbitantly more" than their petrol counterparts, though details will be confirmed closer to the launch.
Images of the Tiggo 8 PHEV show it wears a new front bumper and headlight signatures, as well as pop-out door handles in place of the current petrol model's traditional units.
Styling details relevant to the Australian market have not been released for the Tiggo 7 PHEV, however, it is likely to wear the restyled front end on sale in China (pictured in grey at top of story).
The 'Pro Max' name has been dropped for the PHEV version of the Tiggo 8, while 'Pro' has been deleted for the Tiggo 7 over the petrol model it is based on.
Chery says the hybrid system "will debut in the refreshed Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 models," implying petrol-only versions will receive styling updates to align them with their plug-in hybrid counterparts.
Both PHEV models will support DC fast chargers for a 30 to 80 per cent battery top-up in a claimed 19 minutes, along with AC home charger support.
If the Jaecoo J7 SHS is a guide, the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 PHEVs are likely to support DC fast charging at speeds up to 40kW, while its 6.6kW AC support allows for a 25 to 100 per cent charge in about three hours.
More details on the 2025 Chery Tiggo 7 PHEV and 2025 Chery Tiggo 8 PHEV – including pricing and specifications – will be confirmed closer to their launch in July.
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
