BMW iX3 crowned World Car of the Year 2026 as EVs lead the way
The BMW iX3 has been named World Car of the Year 2026, with the announcement made at the New York International Auto Show on 1 April.
- Industry News
- 2 April 2026
Chery celebrated its first birthday (back in the country) at the end of November, with the unveiling of its flagship Tiggo 8 Pro MAX.
The Tiggo 8 Pro Max will slot in above 1.6 TGDI Tiggo 8 Pro Executive.
This is a fitting crowning of the year that saw the brand gaining 10 000 customers, becoming a top 10 best-selling brand and growing its network of dealers to over 70 facilities.
At the heart of the new Chery flagship is a new, powerful and refined 2.0 litre turbo petrol engine, which utilises many of Chery’s newest proprietary engine technologies to deliver 187 kW at 5 500 r/min and 390 Nm from 2 000 r/min to 4 000 r/min. The Tiggo 8 Pro MAX accelerates to 100 km/h from standstill in just 7.3 seconds, while consuming as little as 7 litres per 100 km in a combined usage cycle.
The new 2.0 TDGI engine further has a redesigned turbo charger that has a small diameter turbine and new, fully floating bearing technology to offer a 22% better response time than similar turbo chargers.
When it comes to luxury features, the MAX has all the features of the Tiggo 8 Pro Executive. These include Adaptive Cruise Control, multi-colour Ambient Lighting, Chery Voice Control, a large panoramic sunroof, a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation panel, a 10.25 floating infotainment touch screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and an additional 8-inch touch screen for the dual zone climate control and other vehicle features.
In the Tiggo 8 Pro MAX, Chery has added privacy glass to the rear passenger compartment and upgraded the windscreen and front side windows to thicker, sound dampening glass for an even more refined driving experience.
In addition to the upgraded glasshouse, the Tiggo 8 Pro MAX has a black leather interior, as opposed to the dark tan coloured upholstery of the Executive model.
Other luxury and safety features that come standard on the Tiggo 8 Pro MAX include electrically adjustable driver’s (6 way) and front passenger (4 way) seats, an 8-speaker SONY sound system and wireless mobile phone charging.
Lastly, the MAX has the full array of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that are also included as standard on the Executive model.
The Tiggo 8 Pro MAX is available at dealerships across South Africa for a suggested retail price of R629 900 (December 2022).
The BMW iX3 has been named World Car of the Year 2026, with the announcement made at the New York International Auto Show on 1 April.
Retail new vehicle sales continue to surge in South Africa despite global and regional conflicts, local floods and droughts.
South Africa’s new vehicle market delivered a standout performance in March 2026, extending its domestic growth trajectory to the strongest level seen in nearly two decades.
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I have bad reflexes. I was once run over by a car being pushed by two guys
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