Chery this week celebrated its first large fleet transaction, when it handed 100 Chery Tiggo 4 Pro models to Hertz Rent A Car.
The hand-over took place at a small ceremony at the Hertz Rent a Car Head Offices, where Chunqing Chen, Vice President of Chery International and Director of Chery South Africa, and Tony Liu, Executive Deputy General Manager of Chery South Africa handed over the first set of keys to Hertz executives.
They were joined at the function by their Fleet Sales colleagues and representatives of Hertz and Standard Bank, who facilitated the vehicle finance for this large transaction.
The transaction follows shortly after Chery created its dedicated Fleet Sales division with industry veteran Lazola Qungwana at the helm.
“We opened our doors earlier this year in response to the overwhelming interest in Chery vehicles, both from small and large corporate buyers. Our dedicated Fleet Sales team offers round the clock support to large fleet operators such as Hertz and we are very excited to start our relationship with them,” says Qungwana.
In dealing with Hertz Rent A Car, Qungwana and the team highlighted Chery’s exemplary service plan and mechanical warranty. The Tiggo 4 Pro was after all the first SUV in the Chery stable to offer a full 10-year or 1-million-kilometre engine warranty alongside the standard mechanical warranty and service plan.
Chery backs this unmatched warranty with its large new parts warehouse in Gauteng, from where it delivers all service and repair parts daily to dealers across South Africa.
As part of its service to vehicle rental fleets, Chery guarantees same-day servicing for vehicles that it receives before 14:00. It has also made special arrangements for weekend services and repairs on a Saturday with dealers.
Chery further guarantees the transport of any vehicle that needs attention to the nearest Chery dealer. For this support, Chery can count on its partnership with the Automobile Association and the many other supplier in its network.
In the unlikely event that a service or repair part is not available, Chery will guarantee that the vehicle will not be stationary for more that five days, thus ensuring this highest possible operating time for each rental vehicle.
All hundred Chery Tiggo 4 Pro models in the Hertz fleet are the top-specification Tiggo 4 Pro Elite CVT models.
This model is equipped with Chery’s award-winning 1.5 litre turbo-petrol engine that delivers 108 kW and 210 Nm of torque through the continuously variable transmission to the front wheels.
As the range-topping model, it is equipped with a complete range of active safety systems, including Traction Control (TCS), Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Front Collision Warning (FCW)and Blind Spot Detection (BSD)
It is worth noting that the entire Tiggo 4 Pro range is equipped with six airbags, including curtain airbags that run the length of the passenger cabin and other safety features such as ISOFIX, ABS brakes and a tyre pressure monitoring system.
“The Tiggo 4 Pro is the perfect choice for a fleet company such as Hertz. Thanks to its very competitive purchase price and very high level of specification, a rental company can now offer this model – with luxury and safety features comparable to much more expensive vehicles, at a more affordable daily rental rate,” says Qungwana.
At R408 900, the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro Elite CVT has few direct competitors, especially when comparing luxury features. This model is fitted with a 7” colour screen for the driver, a 360-degree camera system for easy manoeuvring, dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control and even a large panoramic sunroof.
Add to this features that are standard across the range, such as leather upholstery, a 10.25-inch touch-sensitive infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the much-loved Chery Voice Command system that allows for the hands-free control of most features on the Tiggo 4 Pro.
“Hertz’s purchase of 100 vehicles adds to the ever-growing sales roster of the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro. It has become not only our best-selling model range, but it is now also a top 10 best-selling vehicle in South Africa.
“We trust that Hertz, as our first rental partner, and their customers will have the fullest possible confidence in Chery as their partner and in Chery’s exemplary aftersales capabilities,” says Qungwana.
The Chery Tiggo 4 Pro will soon be featured among the Hertz Rent A Car fleet options, while Chery South Africa will also announce other fleet transactions in the near future.
