Beijing motor show 2012: Chery TX SUV concept

The stylish Chery TX SUV concept, on of the stars of the Beijing motor show, previews a replacement for the Tiggo SUV in Chery’s line-up and is perhaps the most credible car yet seen from a Chinese domestic manufacturer.

Chery, China’s fourth-largest car maker that recently confirmed a joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover, also plans to use the TX as a blueprint for its future designs. The firm has until now struggled with a unified design language across its line-up, and has been contracting some models out to Italian design houses while keeping others in-house.

It is not clear where the TX was designed, but it has proved to be a hit in both China and further afield after computer-generated official images were released last week. Chery says it was inspired by water when developing the TX and will “try to bring nature into the car”.

A prominent beltline and large alloy wheels give it a purposeful stance, although they are likely to be lost for production as volume Chinese buyers prefer smaller wheels.

The current Tiggo was China’s first domestic-use SUV of note due to its relative sophistication. Other manufacturers had made SUVs but these were often based on older Isuzu pick-up truck chassis, which made them unwieldy for urban and city centre driving.

The Tiggo started life as a first-generation Toyota RAV4, but has matured further over the seven years it has been on the Chinese market. Power now comes from a 1.6-litre supercharged petrol engine.