New Car: Chery Tiggo 7

The Chery Tiggo 7 SUV, which impressed us at the Beijing motor show earlier this year, has been launched in China with international sales pending. Little has changed from the pre-production teasers seen in Beijing, says Chery design director James Hope: the 19-inch wheels, LED DRLs and the large central touchscreen have been retained.

The first Chery SUV developed under Hope’s direction (Tiggo 6 was a Bertone design), the 4.5m-long Tiggo 7 represents the brand’s Life in Motion philosophy and its ‘HDS’ design language – Hydro Dynamic Surfacing, inspired by the flow of water. It builds upon the design themes introduced with the Arizzo 5 sedan, and shows the new-look Chery front grille, a deep inset ‘V’ with the chevron shape reflected each side in the headlamp forms.

“In order to establish a truly original direction for Chery design, we set out to challenge the designers to investigate areas of inspiration outside of the automotive environment,” Hope says, citing themes such as “force of nature” as well as Chinese cultural items. He points out the waterfall grille section, scalloped bodysides reflecting a boat’s wake, and sculptured surfaces reminiscent of undulating waves.

The Chery design team aimed to create an intuitive interface with minimal complexity, and worked closely with HMI, ergonomics and electronic engineering teams. The HDS theme is continued inside with elements such as the air vent outlet rings, intended to reference water ripples.