BAIC to launch two SUV models in Malaysia this month

There’s been talk about more brands from China coming into the Malaysian market this year, partly due to the duty-free incentive for electric vehicles but also a push by China’s auto industry to export more aggressively.

This month, BAIC will make its entry though it was already known last year that the carmaker will be coming to Malaysia. BAIC’s international division had signed a MoU with EP Manufacturing Berhad (EPMB) in August 2023 to explore future business with locally-assembled models for the Malaysian market as well as the ASEAN market.

“This will potentially create an additional revenue stream for EPMB group and contribute positively to the future growth of EPMB group. This collaboration is also in line with EPMB’s electric vehicle venture and carbon credit ambitions,” EPMB said in a statement last year.

Assembly at EPMB plant in Melaka
Last month, EPMB signed a 10-year Vehicle Assembly Agreement with BAIC which will see two models assembled at it assembly plant in HICOM Pegoh Industrial Park, Melaka (where Honda Malaysia also has its plant). EV models will also be assembled from 2025. EPMB has spent over RM100 million to construct its assembly plant which will have a capacity of up to 30,000 vehicles annually, though not all will be BAIC’s as EPMB will also assemble for Great Wall Motors.

Related: EP Manufacturing Berhad to assemble GWM vehicles in Melaka

BAIC – one of China’s older carmaker
BAIC is among the older carmakers in China, having been founded in 1958. Today, it is one of the largest government-owned automobile groups in China and is ranked No. 162 in the Fortune 500. It has formed joint ventures with global carmakers such as Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai and in the 1980s, with Jeep.

Today, BAIC has a wide range of models – sedans, SUVs, off-road vehicles, pick-up trucks  and New Energy Vehicles (NEVs). In 2023, it sold some 1.7 million vehicles, a growth of 17.6% over 2022 volumes, with 190,000 units exported to more than 30 countries and regions.

Two SUVs
Later this month, it will launch the X55II (above) and BJ40 Plus (below) in Malaysia. The X55II is a 5-seater SUV powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine, while the BJ40 Plus is a more traditionally-styled off-road vehicle. It’s not known which of the three engines will be offered though most export models seem to use a 2-litre turbocharged petrol unit.

We’ll bring you more news when we get it and of course report on the launch which is rumoured to be next week.