Chery Tiggo 9 spied in Australia, will be brand's flagship SUV

Chery may be rolling out the Jaecoo and Omoda brands this year in Australia, but it hasn’t forgotten its namesake brand.

The Chinese brand will release its fifth SUV model during the second half of 2025, with the Tiggo 9 set to slot in above the existing Tiggo 4 Pro, Omoda 5 (soon to be renamed C5), Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro.

Chery Australia hasn’t confirmed local specifications for the Tiggo 9, though this vehicle spied testing by a CarExpert reader appears to be the ‘global’ Tiggo 9 offered in markets like Africa, Russia and the Middle East.

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This differs from the Chinese-market Tiggo 9 in its grille, front bumper and C/D-pillar design. In markets like the UAE, Chery also quotes a shorter 2800mm (instead of 2820mm) wheelbase.

Global Tiggo 9 models also feature a different dashboard design with a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen, while the Chinese Tiggo 9 features dual 12.3-inch screens.

The Chinese-market Tiggo 9 shares its interior and exterior designs with the Jaecoo J8, which was launched here in June.

Both versions of the Tiggo 9 are therefore closely related to the Jaecoo J8, and it remains to be seen whether Chery will specify its new flagship SUV differently to its Jaecoo sibling.

The J8 is priced from $49,990 drive-away and available in either front-wheel drive Track or all-wheel drive Ridge variants, both with a five-seat layout.

Both are powered by a 183kW/385Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

In the UAE, Chery quotes outputs of 187kW and 390Nm for the Tiggo 9, and offers a third row for seven seats in total.

Depending on the market, the Tiggo 9 and J8 are also available with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

This combines a 115kW/220Nm 1.5-litre engine with a three-speed transmission and a 165kW/390Nm electric motor, for total system outputs of 280kW and 610Nm.

For the Chinese-market Tiggo 9 PHEV, Chery claims electric range of 106km on the CLTC cycle.

It would be unusual for the Tiggo 9 to not offer a third row of seating locally, given the smaller Tiggo 8 Pro comes with seven seats.

Here’s how the Tiggo 9 compares to Chery’s current Australian-market flagship:

The Tiggo 8 Pro is currently priced from between $38,990 and $43,990 drive-away, which would leave room above this model and potentially below the Jaecoo J8 for the Tiggo 9.

The J8 is priced from $49,990 to $54,990 drive-away – effectively mid-spec mid-size SUV pricing for a large SUV, albeit one lacking a third row of seating.