Chery has opened its new assembly plant in Shah Alam – the facility, Chery Corporate Malaysia, will be exclusive to the premium Jaecoo brand (Chery’s own models will continue to be built at the Inokom factory in Kulim, Kedah) and is already producing the Jaecoo J7 SUV for local consumption.
The company took the opportunity to debut the first CKD locally-assembled J7, which will finally be launched on July 19 after a protracted teaser campaign that began at the start of the year. The plant will likely also produce other Jaecoo models that have been confirmed for Malaysia, including the larger J8 and the all-electric J6. A research and development centre, meant for Chery’s right-hand-drive conversions, will also be built at the compound, as will a test track.
Chery did not provide any specifics regarding the plant, such as the amount of investment, area or annual capacity. A Jaecoo spokesperson did confirm, however, that the facility is capable of single and double shifts and is scalable according to local demand. She also said the factory has been built with exports to the ASEAN region in mind and supports internal combustion engines, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles.
To recap, Jaecoo is positioned as Chery’s upscale off-road-focused brand, similar to Land Rover – something the J7 aims to emulate with its boxy, minimalist design. Based on the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro, the car will be offered in front- and all-wheel-drive variants, estimated to be priced at RM150,000 (around RM20,000 higher than the Tiggo 7 Pro) and RM160,000 respectively.
Both are powered by the Tiggo 7 Pro’s 1.6 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 197 PS and 290 Nm of torque, getting it from zero to 100 km/h in eight seconds flat. A seven-speed wet dual-clutch transmission is fitted as standard.
A total of seven drive modes are available, four of which – Snow, Mud, Sand and a general Off-Road setting – are exclusive to the AWD model. Standard kit includes full-LED headlights, 19-inch “Aurora” two-tone alloy wheels, flush pop-out door handles and keyless entry with remote engine start.
Inside, you’ll find push-button start, heated and ventilated powered seats, leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control, 64-colour ambient lighting, a panoramic glass sunroof, cooled armrest storage, a 10.25-inch digital instrument display, a 14.8-inch portrait infotainment touchscreen, a 50-watt cooled Qi wireless charger, an eight-speaker Sony sound system, a 360-degree camera system and a powered tailgate.
In terms of driver assists, the J7 is equipped with autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centring assist, emergency lane keeping, an intelligent evasion system, rear collision warning, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert with auto brake, front departure alert, a door opening warning, auto high beam and park assist.
Read our off-road first impressions of the Jaecoo J7 here.
GALLERY: Jaecoo J7 AWD CKD
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Ok la not sime Darby assemble should be safer
Is this why no Update on x70 facelift?
malaysia maju,
I see many people buy Property and Expensive Cars nowadays.
Work Life Balance, Live Must Comfortable.
together berkaya.
Who needs heated ventilated seats in Malaysian road?
cameron hgland, lumut, taiping, genting, if you stay there maybe you need it. why not
It is as ugly as the 4 men in the picture. Yuck
still better looking than peppa
Second from the right is the distinguished Yin Tongyao, long time head of the Chery organization.
An ordinary looking man, but definitely not ugly….he is a true giant in the auto industry, having survived many a challenge to his company over the years.
Just place booking for this beauty.
Cant wait to get the car promised to delivered by July.
What chery or JAECOO is allowed for skd in Malaysia? I believe based on government policy,, Malaysia only have cbu and ckd term. Doubted there is any benefit on local industry if they just shipped the parts from China and assembly here
lower prices benefit consumers. why want to keep on protecting local industries which add minimal value and inefficient
Miti definition of CKD has gone kaput bro
whats wrong with sime darby, genuine question
How much is the local content for this CKD practice?
Thanks so much