Petrol-electric drivetrain versions of Tiggo 4 coming in August.

SEVEN days on from announcing its entry model for New Zealand, China’s Chery has confirmed it will add a hybrid edition.

Prices released today ahead of August availability show the entry-level Tiggo 4 Hybrid Urban will cost $32,990 and a higher trimmed Ultimate is going to be $37,990;.

That means those derivatives have a $8000 premium over the fully petrol-reliant types in the same trim lines announced this time last week and on sale from July.

The hybrids run a series-parallel 1.5-litre petrol engine-based drivetrain that is claimed to deliver an optimal combined fuel economy of 5.4 litres per 100 kilometres, with range of 1000 kilometres considered possible.

However, these figures, are established by a Chinese domestic scale, WLTC, that is notoriously generous.

The standard petrol car also runs a 1.5-litre, by in that format the outputs are 108kW/210Nm, whereas with the hybrid, the engine alone generates 71kW and 118Nm, while the electric motor contributes 150kW and 310Nm.

The Tiggo 4 hybrid looks set to be the least expensive hybrid crossover sold here brand-new.

Nonetheless, in cheapest form it still sits $3000 above the market’s cheapest petrol-electric, the MG3 Plus hatchback, which has 1155kW and claims consumption of 4.3L/100m. The cheapest crossover right now is a version of the MG ZS with the same power plant as the MG3, starting at $36,990.

The brand that dominates hybrid sales, Toyota, begins its push with the Yaris, from $32,490; it’s also a hatchback, in the same category as MG3.

Chery says it will notify full specification details closer to availability, but likelihood is that the types will mirror the petrol models.

The non-hybrid Urban has 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and taillights, a dual 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and multimedia touchscreen, and wired/wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also includes a six-speaker sound system, voice command system (“Hello Chery”), seven airbags, a reverse camera, and Chery’s full suite of ADAS safety systems.

The Ultimate without battery assist has 18-inch alloys, a 360-degree camera system, heated artificial leather seats, a power sunroof, 15W wireless charging, ambient lighting, and power folding mirrors, among other enhancements.

Chery is one of China’s biggest car brands and the most active as an exporter - but it’s global ambitions are multi-pronged and led by two makes it created just a couple of years ago, Omoda and Jaecoo.

They are already here but with a New Zealand distributor; Chery, on the other hand, is a factory operation, spanning this country and Australia.

The Tiggo 4 isn’t replicated by Omoda or Jaecoo, but its incoming Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 are comparable, including with the make’s Super Hybrid self-involved petrol-electric drivetrain.

This is the second time around for Chery. It was directly active in NZ between 2011-2014 and specialised in two low-priced vehicles, the J3 hatchback and J11 small sports utility. Those cars were imported and distributed by Ateco Automotive.

The venture ended badly with poor sales and discontent about quality and support of the J3 and J11 models that it no longer builds.

Chery’s new operation has said the quality of product has improved massively since those days, but has also move to point out the Tiggo 4 is backed by a seven year unlimited kilometre warranty, seven year capped price servicing and up to seven years of roadside assistance.