The Chery Tiggo 9 was launched here last year in a single variant with plug-in hybrid power (PHEV) and all-wheel drive, but could have company.
Australian Government certification documents viewed by Daily Sparkz confirm the road approval for a new front-wheel drive variant, which could enable the large SUV to get a cheaper entry.
“The front-wheel drive T9 is currently being evaluated for market,” a Chery Australia spokesperson said.
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It still has a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 105kW, but only has two electric motors located in the transmission unit, producing 75kW and 90kW respectively, with the third, rear-mounted electric motor from the all-wheel-drive Tiggo 9 removed.
While Chery states a total system output of 315 kW for the all-wheel drive Tiggo 9, no total system output for the front-wheel drive Tiggo 9 appears in the registration documents.
It’s unclear how much the base price of the Tiggo 9 could fall with the introduction of a front-wheel drive variant.
The currently available single variant of the Super Hybrid Ultimate AWD costs $59,990 (excluding on-road costs).
The Tiggo 9 is 4800mm long and 1930mm wide and has a wheelbase of 2750mm. This puts it above the large Tiggo 8 SUV, which is also offered with a plug-in hybrid drive and seven seats.
This smaller SUV, which Chery markets as a large SUV despite being similar in dimensions to the mid-size Mitsubishi Outlander, is 4724mm long, 1865mm wide and has a 2694mm wheelbase.
The Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid currently costs between $45,990 and $49,990 drive-alone, leaving plenty of room for a front-wheel-drive Tiggo 9 to slot between it and the existing all-wheel-drive Tiggo 9.
In the first two months of this year, the Tiggo 8 – which is also offered with conventional petrol power – sold better than the Tiggo 9 (697 versus 262).
However, the Tiggo 9 outperforms two models from the Chery Group brand Omoda Jaecoo: the petrol-powered Jaecoo J8 (146 deliveries) and the plug-in hybrid Omoda 9 (115).
MORE: Explore the Chery Tiggo 9 showroom
