The days of Chery Auto producing half-baked small cars with interiors that came standard with suffocating fumes seem to be long gone.

Chery Auto Philippines announced in a September 2023 press statement that its Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 series of crossovers both got first place in their respective categories in the J.D. Power China Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) rankings.

The result of the study was based on the evaluation of 35,155 traditional-fuel vehicle owners who purchased new cars between June 2022 and March 2023, covering 230 models from 48 brands.

The research was conducted in 81 major Chinese cities between December 2022 and May 2023.

Electrified models in the Philippines

Both the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 are sold in the Philippines and are available with electrified powertrains.

The Tiggo 7 Pro Hybrid was launched on June 2023. It comes with a mild-hybrid powerplant that combines a 48-volt, belt-starter generator with a turbocharged 1.5-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline engine.

The combined output is 158 PS and 230 Nm of torque, which are coursed through a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Meanwhile, the seven-seat Tiggo 8 Pro is available with a turbocharged 1.6-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline engine pumping out 198 PS and 290 Nm of torque. This is mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.

In addition, the Tiggo 8 Pro PHEV (for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle) combines a turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-4 gasoline engine with an electric motor. The combined output is a whopping 324 PS and 545 Nm of torque that are coursed through a Dedicated Hybrid Transmission.

Chery Auto Philippines claims that the Tiggo 8 Pro PHEV can run up to 75 km in electric-only mode, with the 19.27-kWh battery pack taking around three hours to fully charge.

Top domestic car brand

Chery was also the top domestic brand in J.D. Power China’s 2023 China Initial Quality Survey (IQS).

The study examines problems experienced by new-vehicle owners within the first two to six months of ownership. It is based on responses from 34,648 owners who purchased their vehicles between June 2022 and March 2023.

The survey covered 230 models from 48 different brands and was fielded from December 2022 through May 2023 in 81 major cities across China. Overall initial quality is determined by problems cited per 100 vehicles (PP100), with fewer problems indicating higher quality.

Chery recorded 200 PP100, with Geely in second place at 201 PP100 and GAC Trumpchi in third with 202 PP100. Porsche topped the 2023 IQS across all brands with just 172 PP100.

Do you think Chery models sold in the Philippines are better buys now?

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