First revealed at the Beijing International Motor Show in April, the Chery Tiggo V made its first local public appearance in bakkie form last week.

Described as a three-in-one vehicle, The Citizen reports the Tiggo V is the Chinese carmaker’s first multi-purpose seven-seat SUV-cum-bakkie.

It was first shown as the T1TP concept in Wuhu last year before adopting the Tiggo V nomenclature in Beijing. With the rear closed on both occasions, it was anyone’s guess how the vehicle would convert into a bakkie.

Chery Tiggo V in South Africa

The mystery, or at least part of it, was revealed at Chery’s newly acquired Rosslyn assembly plant last week. Forming part of a display which included several Chery models and those from its sub-brands Omoda, Jaecoo, Jetour, iCaur and Lepas, the Tiggo V was finally on show in bakkie form.

A central partitioning separates the cabin from the loadbin, which is notably shorter than that of a standard double-cab bakkie. The plastic-lined loadbin featured generous plastic mouldings protecting the side panels along the top. The Tiggo V also featured fastening anchors inside the loadbin, a sports bar and a traditional bakkie tailgate.

It looks likely that converting the vehicle from an SUV would entail the removal of the rear roof, similar to that of a canopy, along with removing the third row of seats completely and inserting the partition. But this observation is purely speculative until confirmed during its launch later this year.

No word on powertrain

Powertrain details are also still unclear. The T1TP featured the plug-in hybrid CSH, or Chery Super Hybrid powertrain, however, the Tiggo V is likely to also have the option of a conventional petrol engine. The latter will likely be the Tiggo 9’s 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine that produces 187kW and 390Nm of torque.

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