Bangkok 2025: Chery Tiggo 9 PHEV 7-seat SUV flagship slots above Tiggo 8 Pro, below Jaecoo J8

Another Chinese car making its debut at the ongoing Bangkok International Motor Show (BIMS) is the Chery Tiggo 9, seen here in plug-in hybrid form. Here’s where it gets confusing, because this is not the same domestic-market Tiggo 9 that is sold in other countries as the Jaecoo J8.

Instead, this car is offered as the Tiggo 8L in the Middle Kingdom, slotting between the Tiggo 8 Pro and the J8 in size. Its 4,795 mm length is slightly closer to the J8’s 4,820 mm than the Tiggo 8 Pro’s 4,722 mm, and so is its 2,770 mm wheelbase (2,710 mm for the Tiggo 8 Pro, 2,820 mm for the J8). All three are massive three-row SUVs and offer plenty of space for the whole family.

The Tiggo 9’s design is a strange amalgamation of the two, sporting the Tiggo 8 Pro’s trapezoidal headlights and large octagonal grille, but the J8’s flush pop-out door handles, blacked-out D-pillars and Lincoln Aviator-style full-width taillights. There are some unique touches, such as the kinked window line, tessellated D-pillar graphic and intricate 20-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels with “Luxury Technology” inscribed in the hubcaps.

Inside, the Tiggo 9 forges its own path, diverging from the derivative Mercedes-Benz-like designs in the Tiggo 8 Pro and J8. Instead of a widescreen display panel you get discrete screens – a 10.25-inch digital instrument display and a 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen. The three-spoke steering wheel is a common Chery product, but the tall centre console with the integrated centre air vents and remote control-style button panel next to the cupholders isn’t.

Other features include a “zero gravity” one-touch reclining front passenger seat, power-folding and unfolding second- and third-row seats (replete with buttons in the boot) and a 14-speaker Sony sound system, including headrest speakers for the driver. The cobalt blue and white interior is an, um, interesting choice and probably won’t make it to Southeast Asian markets, which tend to be more conservative.

The car you see here is powered by a Chery Super Hybrid system, which is essentially a rebranded version of the Jaecoo J7 PHEV‘s Super Hybrid System (SHS). This includes a 156 PS/220 Nm 1.5 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine and, rather unusually, two electric motors that both drive the front wheels – one producing 102 PS and 170 Nm, the other making 122 PS and 220 Nm.

Total system output is 381 PS and 610 Nm, which is 34 PS and 85 Nm more than the J7 PHEV. Even so, the Tiggo 9 PHEV’s larger body and resultant weight increase means it gets from zero to 100 km/h four tenths of a second slower at 8.9 seconds. A slightly larger 19.43 kWh battery – likely a BYD-sourced Blade lithium iron phosphate pack like the J7 PHEV’s – should provide a similar all-electric range of nearly 90 km.

Could we see the Tiggo 9 PHEV in Malaysia? Possibly after the entry-level Tiggo 4 Pro/Tiggo Cross, which has already been spotted wearing light camouflage over here. It would be a tough sell, however, seeing as Chery has already saturated the D-segment SUV market with not just the Tiggo 8 Pro and upcoming Jaecoo J8, but also the five-seater Omoda C9 by Jaecoo.

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