Chery Tiggo 7 Pro – CBU First, CKD by the End of 2024

The upcoming Chery Tiggo 7 Pro will arrive as a CBU unit from China first, with CKD production set to begin by the end of this year.

In case you missed it, Chery Malaysia just previewed the upcoming Chery Tiggo 7 Pro earlier this week. Set to debut later in May as the second model to be launched by the automaker this year, the Tiggo 7 Pro will first arrive as a fully-imported (CBU) unit from China, with localisation plans set to begin by the end of this year.

According to our source from Chery Malaysia, the CBU units of the Tiggo 7 Pro will be introduced first, and the SUV model will eventually be locally assembled (CKD) at the Inokom production facility in Kulim, Kedah. With its CKD production set to begin later this year, the first few CBU models will arrive here under a special bridging AP (approval permit) garnered by the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry (MITI).

The fully-imported Tiggo 7 Pro will be sold at the same price as the upcoming CKD model, which is tentatively tagged below RM130,000.

Our source also said that despite the first few units of the Tiggo 7 Pro coming as a fully-imported model, Chery Malaysia would still sell them at the same price as the upcoming CKD model, which is estimated to be below the ceiling price of RM130,000. The automaker, however, refused to elaborate further on the price difference between the CBU and CKD models, but we’re certain that the former usually fares higher than the latter.

This is the same strategy used on the newly launched Chery Omoda E5, with said EV SUV model set to be locally assembled later this year. Currently, the fully-imported Omoda E5 is tagged at the CKD price of RM146,800.

Chery Malaysia's production facility at Inokom Kulim currently assembles both the Omoda 5 & Tiggo 8 Pro.

With Chery Malaysia now busy upgrading and expanding its facility at Inokom Kulim, the local assembly for both the Tiggo 7 Pro and Omoda E5 is set to commence by the end of this year. Currently, the Chery Inokom Kulim facility handles the assembly of both the Omoda 5 and Tiggo 8 Pro.

The Tiggo 7 Pro will come exclusively in a fully ICE version, powered by a 1.6-litre 4-cyl TGDi mill.

A little refresher on the upcoming Tiggo 7 Pro, this C-segment SUV fighter by Chery Malaysia is exclusively powered by a 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbocharged engine outputting 194 HP (197 PS) and 290 NM. Said petrol mill is mated to a seven-speed DCT automatic gearbox, which helps to send power to the front wheels (FWD).

Orders for the new Chery Tiggo 7 Pro have officially been opened, which can be done at any Chery authorised dealer nationwide or via Chery Malaysia’s official website. You can also check out this upcoming C-SUV in the flesh at selected Chery outlets, starting in the middle of next month (April).