Chery will be signing a deal and will be sharing its platform with an unnamed premium European carmaker, according to Chery Chairman, Yin Tongyue. The Chinese carmaker is currently in talks with two European carmakers and will be sharing its platform with only one of them upon signing the said deal, according to a report by Reuters.
“Two premium European marques want to use our platform and a deal will be signed with one of them, a more premium brand than us,” Yin said during a live streaming event promoting Chery’s subbrand Exeed’s new Exlantix ET all-electric SUV.
Chery did not mention the specific European carmaker mentioned, nor the platform which will be shared. Aside from the two unnamed premium European brands, Yin also disclosed that Chery is currently in talks with two other brands for potential collaborations.
The state-owned Chinese carmaker is also in the process of closing a deal which will enable it to build its vehicles in Spain, according to the Spanish government and lead negotiator EV Motors. If the deal goes through, Chery will be building its cars at the plant previously used by Nissan, which closed down in 2021.
RELATED: Chery Omoda E5 set to be first locally assembled Chinese EV, CKD to begin in Q2 2024
Closer to home, two of Chery’s models, namely the Chery Omoda 5 and Tiggo 8 Pro, are locally assembled in Inokom’s assembly plant in Kulim, Kedah. This gives them a competitive starting price of RM108,800 and RM159,800 respectively.
CKD operations for the brand’s all-electric SUV – the Omoda E5 – will also commence as soon as Q2 2024, making it the first Chinese electric vehicle to be locally assembled in Malaysia. Currently fetching a RM146,800 price tag, the all-electric SUV is fully imported (CBU) from China.
In addition to the three Chery models that have been launched in Malaysia, Chery’s C-segment SUV, the Tiggo 7 Pro, which made its preview late last month, will also be built at the Kulim plant as it makes its launch by the end of May. With an estimated price of below RM130,000, order books for the Tiggo 7 Pro have been opened.
RELATED: Chery Malaysia sold 7,000 cars in 5 months, over 80% are the Omoda 5
