Chery Tiggo 4 SUV

1.5 Hybrid Summit 5dr DHT

By now, you’ve probably heard of the likes of Jaecoo and Omoda, but comparatively few of you will be familiar with their parent company, Chery. If you’re in China, it could well be the other way around: Jaecoo and Omoda are relatively new brands there, too, having only existed for the last three or four years.

Chery, though, traces its roots back to the late 1990s - still not all that old compared with many other manufacturers - but mature enough to have established itself as one of several automotive powerhouses in the enormous East Asian country.

Now, not only is Chery cracking the UK market with its newcomer sub-marques, but it's also launching cars under its own brand, too. Indeed, it’s had a surprisingly good start, already outselling some well-established names in Britain.

The automaker has already launched the Chery Tiggo 7, 8, and 9- all SUVs - ranging from a medium five-seater to a supersize seven-seater. But now the compact crossover Tiggo 4 is here.

Like many Chery-Jaecoo-Omoda cars, the model also has a few letters after its name - in this case, 'CSH’, which stands for Chery Super Hybrid. It is aiming to win customers from the likes of Dacia, MG, Toyota and Vauxhall- as well as entries from Skoda and Volkswagen - by doing what these newcomer Chinese brands do best: offer everything imaginable for very little.

Unlike many of these new Chinese manufacturers, though, this one isn’t an EV - in fact, it doesn’t plug into the mains at all. It is a full hybrid (HEV) - so self-charging - meaning this promises improved fuel economy for those who aren’t ready to switch to plugging it in yet.

But is there enough substance to match the style?