Chery today made its first official appearance here in Malaysia, after the brand announced its revival in our country back in February this year. At a media event today, the Chinese carmaker previewed the five models that it has earmarked for introduction here in Malaysia, including the Tiggo Pro Series and Omoda 5 – the former including the first Southeast Asian appearance for the Tiggo 8 Pro PHEV.
“As one of ASEAN’s largest economies and with a developed automotive market. Malaysia is a very strategic market in China’s plans for further globalisation,” said Chery Malaysia country director, Leo Chen.
“As China’s top passenger car exporter for 19 consecutive years, with a presence in over 80 countries and regions, and the trust of over 10 million users worldwide, we believe we will be able to draw on our expertise to contribute to the Malaysian automotive industry and further spur its growth.”
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“Phase one” of its Malaysian product plan will include the Chery Omoda 5 and the Tiggo 8 Pro, although a concrete launch window wasn’t specified.
The Omoda 5 is the first model under Chery’s new flagship global model series. Designed to appeal to “young consumers in the 25-30 age group”, the compact SUV features the ‘Art of Motion’ design language with sharp lines and funky exterior styling, paired to a modern and high-tech interior.
At launch, the Omoda 5 in Malaysia will be offered with two powertrain options, including a 1.5-litre turbocharged inline-four engine with 154 hp and 230 Nm paired to a CVT gearbox, as well as a 1.6-litre turbocharged direct-injection inline-four unit making 194 hp and 290 Nm, paired to a seven-speed DCT gearbox.
Chery also revealed that there will also be a fully-electric BEV variant for the Omoda 5 here in Malaysia, although they stopped short on revealing any specifications.
As for the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro, it’ll be offered here with a single powertrain option featuring a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four engine making 250 hp and 390 Nm. Power is sent to either the front wheels or all four wheels via a seven-speed DCT gearbox.
The company also showed off a hybrid-powered Chery Tiggo 8 Pro PHEV at the event here today, although it’s only slated to be launched at a later date. The PHEV’s powertrain consists of a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine, two electric motors, as well as what the marque calls a 3DHT (Dedicated Hybrid Transmission) gearbox, for a combined output of 241 hp and 510 Nm.
The unique gearbox allows for nine different modes of operation, with the powertrain capable of running in both series and hybrid configurations depending on the driving situation.
Other models earmarked for Malaysia include the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 4 Pro. The former as a C-segment SUV rivalling the likes of the Proton X70 and Honda CR-V, while the latter being the “entry-level” model that’s slightly smaller than the Proton X50.
The two model share the same 1.5L and 1.6L powertrains as the Omoda 5, although the Tiggo 4 Pro will only be available with the former.
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“At Chery, getting close to consumers is of paramount importance,” said Chen. “Besides communicating our recent global successes and showing them our leaps in technology, quality and design, this preview event is also a platform for us to directly engage with Malaysian consumers and deeply understand their hearts and minds with regards to automobiles.”
“This preview event will strengthen the market research we have done so far by allowing us to gather extensive feedback from our valued guests via survey, this time alongside the real vehicles. The feedback will greatly help us fine-tune our product and brand strategy to best serve the Malaysian market, as well as assess the suitability of each of these models for the market,” he added.
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