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Chery trials best-in-class hybrid system

Chery is bound to disrupt the vehicle industry with its leading, new hybrid propulsion system scheduled for production later this year.
Called the Chery DHT Super Hybrid system, it promises to offer class-leading efficiency and power and also a number of world-firsts. This includes a dual-motor system and electric rear axle for effortless four-wheel driving, and performance figures that could hold their own against much larger petrol engine SUVs.
The first version of the Chery DHT Super Hybrid system was produced on 18 May 2021, and the first production versions are expected in Chery models later this year. This will include the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro e+ flagship model.
At the heart of the hybrid innovation is a highly, thermally efficient 1.5 litre turbo-petrol engine. The engine benefits from the same technological innovation that has seen Chery win 6 nominations in the authoritative CHINA HEART Awards for the best Chinese-designed and -produced engines.
The turbo engine is mated to two electric motors and an electric rear axle (in the four-wheel drive system) and two motors in the two-wheel drive version. Acceleration times have been tested as 4.9 seconds for four-wheel drive hybrid Chery models and 7.2 seconds for the two-wheel drive DHT Super Hybrid-powered models.
“The new DHT Super Hybrid system will set a new standard for hybrid and plug-in hybrids when it makes its appearance in the Tiggo. Aside from its high performance, our first real-world testing points to a fuel consumption of 1 litre or less in a combined usage cycle,” says Tony Liu, Executive Deputy General Manager, Chery South Africa.
One of the reasons for the high performance and low fuel consumption is the use of 11 driving modes, which the system can automatically select from. These driving modes include starting, low, medium and high-speed modes, overtaking mode, long-distance mode and even a mountain pass driving mode. By creating very specific settings for each mode, the hybrid system ensures the most efficient and power-optimal setting for every possible driving condition.
The driving modes are linked to nine gears and three propulsion modes (electric only, HEV-Normal and HEV-Sport) for the best performance in any situation.
The system is further linked to the navigation system, and it utilises artificial intelligence to pre-plan the power modes for the route ahead. For instance, if the DHT Super Hybrid system detects traffic on the route, it will pre-select the appropriate power output and driving mode for the lowest emissions and fuel consumption before it even reaches the stretch of traffic.
Chery has tested the system extensively and first reports point to an electric-only range of 100 km and a combined hybrid range of 1 000 km on one tank of fuel.
The hybrid technology was, of course, not developed in isolation of the many other systems being developed by Chery. The insights gleaned from creating the new DHT Super Hybrid system inform developments on the group’s full range of drivetrain and propulsion systems, including internal combustion (ICE), electric vehicles (EV), range-extended electric vehicles (REEV), hybrid and plug-in hybrid systems (HEV and PHEV) and fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV).
Chery has also developed a range of highly intelligent and adaptive driver assistance systems that are already available in certain Chery models and that will soon be available in the most advanced versions of development, in the new DHT Super Hybrid models.
The range of technologies was developed by Chery, while others were developed in partnership with Baidu. These include artificial intelligence systems linked to facial recognition of the driver, advanced natural language interfaces between the driver and vehicle and an i-Connect digital assistant, called the i-Connect Butler.
“With a high pace of technological development and a vehicle footprint fast approaching 10 million customers, we are able to rapidly test and deploy new technologies that not only offer some of the best performance and lowest fuel consumption, but also the most advanced user interface systems for ease of driving,” says Liu.
Chery South Africa will introduce the first Tiggo models for sale before the end of this year, with several models planned for local introduction in 2022.

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Chery to accelerate all propulsion technologies in the next 3 decades

Chery believes the future is electric. And petrol and diesel powered. And driven by fuel-cell vehicles. And made for hybrids.

China’s largest exporter of vehicles, with an international client base of close to 10 million owners, recently committed to a comprehensive drivetrain plan that includes all current and future forms of propulsion. This includes petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles, hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV), electric (EV) and range-extended electric vehicles (REEV) and fuel-cell driven electric vehicles (FCEV).

Chery renewed this commitment at the recent 2021 Chengdu International Auto Show, where it showcased a range of its newest propulsion systems, several of which will soon also be seen in its new Tiggo range in South Africa.

Says Tony Liu, Executive Deputy General Manager, Chery South Africa: “Many people worry that the international drive towards electric vehicles will lead to stagnated development of internal combustion engines.

“There are also concerns about the strain on a country’s electricity grid and the challenges that some countries face where citizens travel great distances or where extreme heat and cold can negatively affect electric operating range.”

It is for this reason that Chery has committed to a 30-year propulsion plan that includes all types of propulsion and accompanying drivetrain development. Dubbed the “457” plan, it will see Chery focus on four new energy product platforms, five universal subsystems and seven core technologies, including all types of propulsion.

At the Chengdu International Auto Show, Chery showed its commitment to this plan with several new drivetrain innovations. Two, in particular, drew international attention, the first being its new 2.0 TGDI turbo-petrol engine.

This engine utilises proprietary technology to deliver best-in-class thermal efficiency for high power output and low fuel consumption. In the Tiggo 8 Pro, this engine will deliver 192 kW and 400 Nm of torque.

“Chery is a leading manufacturer of internal combustion engines, having designed and built over 8.8 million engines, and we will continue with engine development on route to becoming carbon neutral,” says Liu.

The second of many innovations that drew global praise was Chery’s new DHT hybrid architecture.

Utilising many of the electric vehicle innovations and its progress on high-efficiency internal combustion engines, the DHT hybrid platform utilises 11 gears, nine different operating modes and a world-first dual-motor drivetrain to deliver a unique hybrid driving solution for HEV and PHEV models.

This unique hybrid system was showcased at the Chengdu show as fitted to the Tiggo 8 Pro PHEV. In this application, the dual-motor system is mounted on both axles to offer effortless four-wheel drive, a 0 – 100 km/h acceleration time in the five-second range and a combined fuel consumption of around 1 litre / 100 km.

“By committing to all types of propulsion for the next three decades, we not only speed up our development of fuel-cell, electric, hybrid and internal combustion engines, but we are able to utilise innovations in one form of propulsion in making another even better.

“For instance, our work on electric vehicles and super-efficient petrol turbo engines has allowed us to build the DHT hybrid platform that will give peerless performance and the lowest real-world consumption in the industry.

“We are carefully studying the relevant legislation related to electric and hybrid plug-in vehicles in South Africa. This will inform our future plans and the possibility of introducing these technologies in the future,” says Liu.

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Chery South Africa, WesBank sign landmark agreement

The wheels are turning fast at Chery South Africa, which this week signed a binding agreement with WesBank for the provision of financial services to both clients and dealers.

The agreement follows several months of negotiation between China’s leading exporter of vehicles and South Africa’s leading provider of innovative vehicle and asset solutions and includes the provision of comprehensive vehicle finance solutions under the newly created Chery Finance. It will also take care of all asset and dealer floorplan finance through the same alliance.

“For Chery, affordability means much more than just the sales price. We consider the cost of finance, maintenance, and insurance in our calculations, and we want to make sure that it makes sense to our customers on every level.

“With this in mind, we are very proud to partner with WesBank for the creation of Chery Finance. WesBank is known for its innovative approach to vehicle finance and cost competitiveness. This will ultimately benefit our future owners, who are guaranteed to get the best possible deal on their new or pre-owned Chery through Chery Finance,” says Jay Jay Botes, National Sales Manager of Chery South Africa.

The agreement was signed on Tuesday at a small ceremony at the Chery offices in Bryanston, Johannesburg. It will now allow Chery’s sales and dealer development team to implement the finance solution at each of the 30+ dealers that will start trading in November 2021.

“We are proud to be associated with Chery South Africa and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship,” says Ghana Msibi, CEO of WesBank Vehicle and Asset Finance. “In our due diligence prior to creating the Chery Finance alliance, we were impressed with the company’s focus on quality, safety and customer service, and we believe that this will help the company to grow in a market that values these attributes highly.”

The creation of Chery Finance follows on last week’s official announcement of Chery’s establishment in South Africa. This is the first time that the company enters South Africa as a wholly owned subsidiary of the global group, although it has supported the existing owners with parts and service support throughout.

“We are excited to introduce South African customers to our range of modern SUVs. Vehicles like the Tiggo 4 and Tiggo 8 Pro are very popular in every market where they are sold, thanks to their combination of modern technology, powerful engines and unique safety innovations,” says Botes.

“Now we can add to that list the many finance innovations on offer through Chery Finance, including fast online finance applications, immediate vehicle settlement calculations and best-in-class dealer support.”

Chery has completed its local vehicle testing and homologation and looks forward to introducing its first vehicles later this year. This will be followed by a comprehensive range of ultra-modern vehicles in 2022 and the continued growth of the Chery network of dealers.

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