Under the Skin: A closer look at Chery Himla pickup truck

Crossovers with electrified powertrains may all be the hype nowadays, but what many people don’t know is that it’s the double-cab pickup truck segment that forms the sales foundation for many established brands in the Philippine market.

Take a look at what brands like Toyota, Ford, Isuzu, and Mitsubishi have in the country, and you’ll see just how their respective models have greatly affected the sales charts. But beyond the numbers, pickup trucks are no longer viewed as vehicles meant to do one thing and one thing only – it’s become a way of life, or forms the lifestyle of an individual.

It shows that if anyone can win over that audience in the Philippine market, then it could indeed elevate the brand’s image to a whole new level. That has been recognized by brands like BYD, Changan, and GWM, who have all joined in the pickup truck party, and now it looks like Chery is coming next with the Himla.

We had a closer look at Chery’s first double-cab pickup truck, and it does look like a significant key for the Chinese automaker to get a bigger market presence in the country.

For starters, the Chery Himla follows a body-on-frame structure with a double wishbone front suspension and a live axle rear with leaf springs to maximize payload capacity. There's four wheel disc brakes, and an electronic parking brake to keep things still. It started life as the KP11 concept back in 2024, but now the multiple demo units shown to us are close to production-ready.

Many people say the Himla looks to have borrowed a lot of influences from Ford’s Ranger T6 pickup truck, and a closer look definitely had me agreeing to that thought. There are indeed some shape similarities on the silhouette, you got those side step assists on the bed, and the Chery typeface proudly spelled on the grille is Raptor-esque.

That’s not to say it’s a complete copycat. Let’s just put it this way. If you’re going to make a pickup truck, then you might as well take a look at the best practices of the market leaders, right?

Speaking of which, the design thought on the Himla was also taken from what established automakers would usually do – prioritize the design of the top-of-the-line model first, then strip off a few pieces for the lower-spec variants. In this case, the production-ready Himla was shown with LED DRLs and LED foglights up front, plastic overfenders, a sports bar, and rolls on a set of 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires.

Inside, the Himla’s got the modern features expected from a lifestyle truck. A central-mounted, landscape-oriented touchscreen for infotainment, a digital instrument cluster, and a rotary switch for its 4WD system.

While Chery remains quiet about the truck’s powertrain, we were able to get a quick look at the Chery-developed turbodiesel that’s underneath the hood of the Himla. It appears that Chery did its homework in terms of packaging, done in a similar way as the Mitsubishi Triton.

The Himla’s turbodiesel unit features a high-mounted air filter with the intake positioned on the side, along with a high-mounted turbo unit and alternator for an easier reach when being serviced. Likewise, there’s clever positioning done on the intercooler, oil cooler, and condenser unit to maximize cooling. The intercooler was placed high, but there’s a gap between it and the oil cooler placed below, so the condenser can also take in fresh air.

Chery knows the Himla will be outfitted with parts made for overlanding, and we were surprised to see a unit already fitted with a rooftop tent and even a retractable stepboard for good measure.

With those taken into mind, it does look like Chery could have a shot at getting a seat on one of the most loyalty-driven vehicle segments in the country. But of course, apart from proving the truck can take a beating, there’s also something that Chery Auto Philippines has to do – provide the right pricing and aftersales support.

While the name does sound like a miracle, Chery doesn't need one to pull it off.