Chery South Africa confirmed at its 2025 International User Summit conference in Wuhu, China, that its Himla bakkie will arrive in SA by Q3 of 2026. But will it conquer the local market as its SUVs have?
Few things get South Africans talking quite like the promise of a new bakkie. This time, it’s Chery’s turn to stir the pot. Enter the Chery Himla (a playful nod to the Himalayas) and the brand’s first serious step into one of South Africa’s most competitive segments.
And why not? Since Chery’s return to South Africa in 2021, the brand has steadily rebuilt its image through strong SUV offerings. Now, it seems ready to test its mettle among the bakkie faithful.
IF AT FIRST YOU SUCCEED
Chery has been tight-lipped about what lies beneath the Himla’s bonnet, so most of what we know so far comes down to what we could see – and feel.
The first impression of the cabin is one of comfort. Plush faux-leather seats greet you up front, while the rear bench offers a surprising level of support and space, even for those with broader frames. It’s a genuinely roomy interior, and the ergonomics feel well considered and centred around the driver.
What deserves special mention are the physical toggle switches below the large infotainment screen, a rare delight in an era of all-touch interfaces. They handle essentials like climate control, defoggers, and hazard lights. Another set of buttons, arranged in a rotary dial on the centre console, also activates the rear diff-lock and operates the drive modes that include 4H, 4L, and 2L.
Outside, the Himla wears a sharp, modern face. A three-tier headlight arrangement gives it a distinctive look, while the oversized grille gives off loads of presence. Interestingly, the two prototypes displayed at Chery’s User Summit featured different colour accents around the Chery badge: one blue and one black. This likely hints at the availability of both a turbodiesel hybrid and a non-hybrid option, where Chery might well be taking a page from BYD’s playbook with its well-received Shark.
MUD AND GLORY
Although Chery remains evasive about the engine option(s) to be introduced when the Himla arrives here, our tester in Wuhu was fitted with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder non-hybrid turbodiesel. In the Chinese market, the Himla is available with a 2.3-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder mill that sends 120 kW and 420 Nm to all four wheels through an eight-speed auto ‘box.
Although “no comment” seemed to be the answer of the day, the Himla (if it ends up being called that in SA) might also be offered here with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, as well as in electric and hybrid configurations.
But enough of the maybe’s. How does it drive?
While testing was limited to a rough and muddy off-road track, my first impression of the ladder-frame bakkie’s suspension is wholly positive. With independently sprung coil suspension at the front and leaf springs at the rear, I expected the bakkie to tread significantly harsher than it did.
Throttle response (although on the sensitive side) offered excellent control, and steering accuracy also impressed, with a comforting heft to the wheel. The big bakkie also had no issues wading through mud on its standard all-terrain tyres, with the torquey mill powering through some very sticky stuff at barely more than idle speed.
LAST WORD
While much about the SA-bound Himla remains unclear, our first impression is that it is likely to garner serious attention back home, if capability is anything to go by.
One thing is sure, the South African bakkie market doesn’t easily forgive half-hearted efforts, and if Chery’s recent track record in the SUV segment is a precursor to what the brand will do with its own bakkie, the Himla could be a serious new contender – one ready to climb toward the summit.
Report & Images by RUBEN VON STEEN
