PODCAST: Why South Africa must wait longer for the Chery bakkie
The Chery Himla bakkie that was displayed at the Shanghai Auto Show last month. Picture: Jaco van der Merwe
The first Chery bakkie will be introduced to South Africa next year, but it won't be the Himla showcased at the Shanghai Auto Show last month.
The Chery Himla, internally known as the KP11, is only built in left-hand drive and not meant for export markets. The bakkie destined for Mzansi is the KP31, which is still in development.
It is also not a given that the South Africa-bound Chery bakkie will wear the Himla moniker. The name, along with design and specifications still needs to be finalised.
Chery bakkie makes Pitstop
In this week's episode of The Citizen Motoring's Pitstop podcast, we look at the KP31 project. We had the opportunity to sample the KP11 in Wuhu, China last week, and we review our little drive.
The Chery Himla we drove was powered by a 2.3 litre turbodiesel engine which power outputs was not revealed. It was hooked up to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Chery did say that a 2.5 litre diesel engine is under consideration for the KP31. It has since emerged that the KP31 could feature as many as five powertrain options.
ALSO READ: Chery gearing up to take South African bakkie market by storm
These include two internal combustion engines; a 2.5 litre turbodiesel producing 140kW/450Nm and a 170kW/378Nm 2.0 litre turbo petrol.
New energy options
A mild-hybrid option adds electrical assistance to a 2.5 litre oil-burner for a total output of 200kW/600Nm.
At the sharp end of the stick there are two plug-in hybrids (PHEV). The one, a 2.5 litre turbodiesel hooked up to battery and electric motor to produce 260kW/680Nm and a petrol version which sees a 2.0 litre turbo mill with an electrical system producing a total of 300kW/620Nm.
It is likely that the KP31, for which the name Sahara was been mentioned, will look very different to the Chery Himla. The KP31 will be offered in at least two body styles, a double cab and single cab.
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