Cowin

Among all the Cherys sold in the Philippines, this is the genuine Chinese car.  It’s the oldest in the line-up, so expect the crudest experience here: doors that aren’t aligned, a hatch that requires two people to close, and interior trimmings that fall off—it’s a car that feels a decade old even before it left the showroom.  It’s oddly shaped too.  There’s an LPG tank fitted at the back, so this car’s perhaps catered for the taxi crowd.  And in that sense, you can’t deny its fleet value here.

A5

This is more like it.  Chery’s investments in quality systems certainly have paid off in cars like the A5—the newest car here along with the V5.  Aside from the Audi-like name, Chery can be proud of the A5’s nicely proportioned lines inside and out (it looks quite like the Nissan Altima).  Build quality is the best among the group, and the materials are actually not half bad.  Again, standard features are high with dual airbags, anti-lock brakes and electronically adjustable headlamps.  Too bad though that there’s no automatic transmission variant to pair with the 1.6-liter ACTECO engine.

Tiggo

A look at the Tiggo and you’d swear you’ve seen this before.  Yes, it’s the previous-generation Toyota RAV4 in all but grille and name.  Sometimes it’s not surprising to see an industry start-up copying something here and there, but in the case of the Tiggo, it’s a facsimile.  Everything from the way the doors open to the sound they make when they close is RAV4.  Even the blue/gray interior scheme, 3-meter white gauges, switch positions and tire size (235/60 R 16) are all from the RAV4 design book.  Of course, there’s no VVTi under the hood.  A 1.6-liter ACTECO engine shared with the A5 pushes the purely front-driver SUV.

V5

Chery’s local flagship is what it touts to be a crossover vehicle.  Like the modern A5, the V5 is well proportioned inside and out, and certainly carries all the de rigueur of modern car design: scallop shaped headlamps, flared fenders, an egg-crate grille and even side mirror mounted turn signal repeaters.  At P 858,000, it isn’t cheap, but at least the V5 comes fully loaded with everything but the kitchen sink.  Dual airbags, anti-lock brakes, automatic climate control, wood trimmings, leather seats and a luxury sound system are all there.  Even the 5-speed shift knob looks luxury—it’s lifted off a BMW’s!  The V5 seats seven in relative comfort as well.

For a car maker just a decade old, Chery Automotive has gone a long, long way.  Where both American and European makers took well over a hundred years to establish themselves, the world’s largest automaker, Toyota Motor Company took just seventy.  Hyundai Motor Company, at just forty years old, took just half that time to reach the global sixth spot in terms of sales.  Chery Automotive with the amount it invested in research and development can become a serious global player in just two decades.  Aside from vast improvements in quality and assembly, Chery is now beginning to seek the help of Bertone and Pininfarina to develop a much more distinctive brand identity for Chery.  Just when you’ve seen it all, the Chinese are now in the car making business.

In the Philippines, Chery Automotive is distributed by Iseway Motors Philippines, Inc.  Its showroom is located at the Oppen Building, 349 Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City.

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