Chery has opened the order books for the new Tiggo 4, a small hybrid crossover priced from just £19,995.

The new entry point in the Chinese brand’s range is one of the UK’s cheapest full-hybrid cars, undercut only by the MG 3 hatchback.

Detailed specifications will be released in the coming weeks, Chery said, confirming only that the Tiggo 4's combination of a 1.5-litre petrol engine, 1.83kWh battery and electric motor produce peak outputs of 201bhp and 229lb ft.

In other right-hand-drive markets, such as Australia, those outputs are split between 95bhp from its petrol engine and the full 201bhp from the electric motor. Drive is sent from the engine to the wheels through a single-speed reduction motor. Its economy and emissions are rated at 52mph and 123g/km in Australia, although these numbers may change for the UK.

Inside, the Tiggo 4 has a pair of 10.25in displays: one is an infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, while the other is for instrumentation.

The Tiggo 4 measures 4.33m long, 1.83m wide and 1.66m tall, positioning the crossover as a rival for European mainstays such as the Dacia Duster and Vauxhall Frontera. At £19,995, it will provide stiff competition for such cars: a full-hybrid Duster starts from £25,095, while a hybrid Frontera kicks off at £24,855.

It remains to be seen whether Chery will also bring to the UK the pure-petrol version of the Tiggo 4 that is sold in Australia. That model would most likely be cheaper still, undercutting European alternatives by an even greater margin.