Chery teases serious new double cab for SA
Chery has announced its plans to introduce an all-new double-cab bakkie, and the truth here is that the usual suspects, Hilux, Ranger, D-Max, P-Series, and Amarok, have long treated the segment like their personal battlefield.
If your eyes were fixed on the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show, you’ll remember Chery pulling the covers off a concept bakkie called the Himla. It didn’t look like a half-baked attempt either. It looked serious. Early indications pointed to a wide stance and squared-off arches, which will likely appeal to bakkie fans.
But here’s where it gets interesting. The production version heading our way won’t wear the Himla badge. Instead, it’s currently known internally as the KP31 and is slated to arrive in late 2026 or early 2027, packing a hybridised 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine, making it a world-first diesel PHEV for a bakkie. According to Chery, the range will be expanded to include a petrol-powered plug-in hybrid after the diesel PHEV.
As for how much power it makes, that remains to be seen, but if history has taught us anything, it’s that hybrid systems often arrive packing serious numbers. Currently, the plug-in hybrid bakkie in South Africa making the most power is the BYD Shark 6 with 321kW and 650Nm plus an electric driving range of up to 100km. The Shark 6 has effectively redefined the performance expectations for a working double cab.
What Chery mentions, though, is that its bakkie will sit on the Kaitan ladder-frame chassis, developed to support ICE-powered plug-in hybrids and fully electric powertrains. Interestingly, the new bakkie will have a payload of up to 1,000kg and a braked towing capacity of 3,500kg. Other features include front, centre and rear differentials, a low-range gearbox, dedicated off-road modes, underbody protection, integrated recovery points, and raised air intake.
Looking at the bigger picture, Chery’s recent acquisition of the former Nissan South Africa plant in Rosslyn feels strategic, and it remains to be seen whether the bakkie will be built there, with all signs pointing to a long-term local presence for the brand.
If the bakkie lives up to its promised capabilities, it could very well align with what local buyers are looking for in the market. It certainly has the potential to be more than a model that simply checks a few boxes.
