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Australia could have a new most affordable hybrid car by the middle of this year, as part of three new petrol-electric vehicles bound for Chery showrooms.
Chery has confirmed plans to take on the MG ZS hybrid and Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid in Australia by the middle of this year.
The Chinese brand is set to launch its first three hybrid vehicles in Australia – a 'plug-less' hybrid version of the Tiggo 4 Pro small SUV, and plug-in hybrid variants of the larger Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro SUVs.
All three are due in the first half of 2025, with prices and specifications to be confirmed closer to launch.
The Tiggo 4 hybrid is in with a strong chance of becoming Australia's most affordable new petrol-electric hybrid vehicle, as the petrol version priced from $23,990 drive-away is already one of the most affordable cars on sale.
It would need to undercut the MG 3 Hybrid+ Excite, which starts from $27,990 plus on-road costs, or $28,990 drive-away at the time of publishing.
Hybrid cars from brands other than Toyota – which charges about $2000 to $2500 extra for petrol-electric technology – typically command a premium of $4000 to $6000 over petrol-only equivalents.
A mild-hybrid version of the Tiggo 4 Pro is already sold overseas, with a small 7kW/40Nm electric motor intended to assist the 1.5-litre petrol engine, rather than propel the vehicle on electric-only power for any meaningful distance.
A Chery Australia spokesperson confirmed to Drive the petrol-electric Tiggo 4 Pro sold locally will be a 'full' hybrid capable of electric-only driving, not a mild-hybrid.
The Tiggo 4 Pro hybrid could pave the way for a similar version of the related Omoda 5 small SUV.
Meanwhile, plug-in hybrid versions of the larger Tiggo 7 Pro five-seater and Tiggo 8 Pro seven-seater are also on the way.
In China, these models are powered by 115kW/230Nm 1.5-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine, a 125kW/315Nm electric motor, and a 19.3kWh battery pack, matched with front-wheel drive.
Chery claims system outputs of 240kW and 545Nm, and a 100km electric-only driving range in NEDC lab testing – under which a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV quotes 84km of electric range.
Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris told Drive in September 2024 the company's plug-in hybrids will not cost "exorbitantly more" than regular petrol versions.
The current petrol Tiggo 7 Pro is priced from $36,990 drive-away, while the Tiggo 8 Pro Max starts from $41,990 drive-away, excluding special offers.
The 'Max' suffix is expected to be dropped for the Tiggo 8 Pro plug-in hybrid, as it is related to the 2.0-litre engine in the petrol-only model.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
