Chery Tiggo 8 Pro - will it become SA's best-selling premium SUV in 2022?
At the weekend, news broke that Chery‘s all-new Tiggo 8 Pro will be landing in South Africa in a few weeks. As the “big-family” alternative to the Tiggo 4 Pro that Chery launched here late last year, the new Tiggo 8 Pro is packed with luxury, safety and convenience features, and it looks like it’s in a prime position to captivate hearts and sales this year as established brands battle to secure stock in the popular SUV segment.
According to S&P Global, vehicle manufacturers found themselves struggling to meet demand in the second half of 2021 as the semiconductor chip shortage hampered production – and supply is not likely to return to normal in 2022.
“We project that the shortage hindering global vehicle production is poised to persist into 2022 before supply catches up with demand in early 2023. Light vehicle production in 2022 is expected to shed 5.7 million units as the shortages impact production facilities worldwide. The Boston Consulting Group expects the shortfall in vehicle production to last into 2024 before stabilising in 2025,” the firm notes.
The shortage of semiconductor chips is expected to impact some of SA’s most popular brands this year. At the launch of the Tiggo 4 Pro last year, Chery SA’s Tony Liu told us that the brand is in a favourable position to build cars and supply them to key markets as it can secure semiconductor chips from preferred suppliers. While the leading brands might battle to provide South African motorists with stock, Chery dealers will have the models they advertise by the looks of things, so the brand might be one of the few that can supply vehicles within reasonable waiting periods in 2022.
Of course, it all depends on pricing and whether Chery hits a sweet spot that resonates with consumers, but there’s little doubt that the Tiggo 8 Pro is going to be priced well if you take a look at the Tiggo 4 Pro‘s pricing and how Chery competitors, Haval has approached the market with its hugely successful Jolion and H6 models. Considering the stock shortage, its potentially keen pricing and a rising number of dealers around the country, this Tiggo 8 Pro is looking set to become a best-seller in SA before it even lands here.
Two model line-up will kick things off
Chery SA says that two models of the Tiggo 8 Pro will be available at local dealers within the next few weeks. Both will be powered by an award-winning 1.6-litre TGDI petrol engine that uses advanced thermal management, adaptive turbocharging and direct injection to deliver 136kW and 290Nm.
Chery also boldly claims that both models will also offer industry-leading levels of luxury and technology, a hallmark of all its products, they explain. This includes features such as an Around View Monitor, an eight-speaker SONY sound system, two high-definition TFT displays (with a third in the flagship model) and dual-zone climate control with premium N95 air filtration technology. All models will further offer seven seats as standard, setting another class benchmark.
Why could it be the best-selling vehicle of 2022 in SA?
With the aforementioned stock shortage of vehicles, Chery‘s growing dealer network in SA, its keen pricing of vehicles, robust (up to 10-year warranties) and what seems to be genuinely good feedback from buyers of the Tiggo 4 Pro so far, the new Tiggo 8 Pro could be the vehicle you end up driving in 2022 if the big brands keep telling you you have to wait for stock. We’ll bring you pricing and an official launch date as soon as Chery SA gets back to us with confirmation.
Source: Pritesh Ruthun (www.wheels24.co.za)