First locally-assembled JAECOO model officially launched

JAECOO, the premium brand of Chery (China’s No.1 passenger vehicle exporter for 21 consecutive years), today rolled out the J7, its first model assembled in Malaysia.

The event’s significance was emphasised by the presence of Malaysia’s Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, and China’s Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Jin Zhuanglong, as well as other senior government representatives of both countries and senior management of Chery international.

First country to assemble J7 in Southeast Asia
Malaysia is the first country in Southeast Asia where the J7 is being launched. The SUV will be offered in two versions (with 2WD and AWD) to be priced between RM150,000 – RM160,000. First deliveries are expected to start in the near future.

The J7 is assembled at the new Chery Corporate Malaysia plant in Shah Alam, Selangor. It complements the other facility at Inokom in Kedah which began assembling Chery SUVs last year. The J6, which is available with a fully-electric powertrain, is under consideration as the next model for local assembly. In view of the extended window of opportunity (duty-free import) for fully electric models assembled locally, Chery would probably want to do so within the next couple of years.

Export plans
Chery has the intention to eventually export its vehicles from Malaysia but before that can happen, the level of content sourced from Malaysia (or ASEAN) must be at least 40%. This is to qualify for the duty-free import privilege when vehicles from one ASEAN country are exported to another country in the region. As Chery has already set up a plant in Thailand for EV models, Malaysia would likely become its regional hub for non-EV models of the JAECOO and Chery brands.

JAECOO J7 shows off its capabilities at M4TREC