An early Chery Tiggo SUV, seen in Beijing in 2014. The Tiggo was still in use but looked a little old and tired, with lots of dust and busts. It also has a very old license plate.
The Chery Tiggo was an extremely important car for Chery. It put the brand on the map and it was exported to dozens of countries around the world, under various names.
The Tiggo had a simple and attractive design, inspired by cars like the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V. The decals on the doors, the sporty wheels, and the roof rails were all standard.
The original Chery Tiggo debuted in 2005. In 2007, the Tiggo received its first facelift, and that is the car we have here today. In 2014, after another 3 (!) facelifts, the Tiggo was renamed to Tiggo 3. And that car, after loads of facelifts, still lives on today.
The interior was modern for its time, with a large center stack and a low center tunnel. The seats were faux-leather but looked luxurious.
The 2007 Chery Tiggo was available with 3 four-cylinder petrol engines: 1.6, 1.8, and 2.0. The 1.8 was the most common motor. It had an output of 132 hp and 170 Nm. Only gearbox for all engines was a five-speed manual, sending horses to the front wheels. Price for the base 1.8 model started at 91.800 yuan.
The Chery logo. The characters write: Qirui Qiche, Chery Auto.
Until 2012 or so these older Chery Tiggo’s were still a very common sight in the big cities in China, but afterwards many were scrapped due to new and very strict environmental regulations.
Although just a small SUV, the Chery Tiggo holds significant historical value, for Chery and for the Chinese automotive industry in general. May some of the oldies survive!
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