The “new” is a locally assembled Chery Tiggo 7 Pro with a slightly adjusted “front” and other logos.
The Japanese manufacturer Nissan in the fall of 2022 sold its Russian assets to FSUE NAMI (a government agency that is part of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation), including the St. Petersburg plant. Later it came under the control of AVTOVAZ, its name was changed to “Lada St. Petersburg”, and the manufacturer even began producing the Lada X-Cross 5 SUV (badge-engineering pre-reform “Chinese” FAW Bestune T77), but in the end this project “stalled” . Then the former Nissan site changed its name once again — to “Avtozavod St. Petersburg” — and at the beginning of this year it launched the assembly of cars under a new brand — Xсite.
In the photo: Xcite X-Cross 7
The trademark for this brand was registered back in mid-January, about who became the partner within the framework of the ongoing project, is not officially reported. At the same time, it is obvious that this is the Chinese company Chery, which is in demand on the Russian market, which has not yet directly launched the production of its cars in the Russian Federation (Chery models sold on the Russian market come from abroad).
Now the Xсite brand has presented its first-born – the X-Cross 7 crossover, the “donor” for which was the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro (that is, the pre-reform version, without the addition of Max to the name). According to the official website of the Chinese brand, both versions are currently available in the Russian Federation, with the recommended retail price of Tiggo 7 Pro starting at 2,570,000 rubles, and Tiggo 7 Pro Max starting at 2,820,000 rubles. The Russian manufacturer has not yet announced what the cost of Xcite X-Cross 7 will be, information will appear closer to the start of sales.
The X-Cross 7 SUV differs from the “source” due to different logos and nameplates, as well as a slightly differently designed radiator grille: in the “Russian” SUV, the pattern is created from horizontal sinuous lines, visually reminiscent of flat cells. The sidewalls with 18-inch wheels, embossed hood, optics and bumper design of the crossover are the same as that of the “donor”.
In terms of dimensions, Xcite X-Cross 7 is no different from Chery Tiggo 7 Pro: length is 4500 mm, width – 1842 mm, height – 1702 mm. The Russian company did not indicate the distance between the axles, but, obviously, it is the same — 2670 mm. The ground clearance of the new product is identical — 190 mm, and the trunk volume is 475 liters (with the second row seats folded — 1500 liters).
The interior of the model is also completely inherited from the “donor”, with the exception, of course, of the brand name on the steering wheel. So on the front panel there is a 7-inch virtual instrument panel, and in the center there is a 10.25-inch diagonal touchscreen of the infotainment system. There is a touch panel on the central tunnel to control the climate control.
In the photo: interior of the Xcite X-Cross 7 crossover
All configurations of the new product received a “winter package”, which includes electric heating of both the front seats and the rear sofa, there are also heated windshield washer nozzles, a windshield, exterior mirrors and a multifunction steering wheel. The list of basic equipment includes six airbags, LED optics, an electric tailgate, multimedia with support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as keyless entry and remote start functions.
For exclusively front-wheel drive Xcite X -Cross 7 has only one “filling” option – a 1.5-liter gasoline turbo engine, the output of which is 147 hp and the maximum torque is 210 Nm. This engine is paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission. To accelerate from zero to “hundred”, such a crossover requires 9.8 seconds, and its maximum speed is 186 km/h.
According to Ivan Mironov, General Director of Avtozavod St. Petersburg LLC, the site has already released the first batch, which includes several thousand Xcite vehicles. He explained that “active stock accumulation” is still ongoing, and the start of sales of the X-Cross 7 crossover will take place before the end of this spring.