Malaysia Set to Become Chery’s Regional Production Hub – MITI

Following the opening of its new Shah Alam facility, Chery is set to make Malaysia its regional production hub.

In case you missed it, Chery recently opened a new production facility in Shah Alam. Besides churning out Jaecoo models for our local market, this new Shah Alam plant will also produce export models, specifically for the ASEAN regional market.

This was shared by the Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry (MITI) YB Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Abdul Aziz via his Facebook page, where the export plan is part of Chery’s main plan to make Malaysia its export hub in the ASEAN region.

“In June, I launched Chery’s assembly plant in Shah Alam, Selangor. The factory is part of the company’s RM1 billion investment in Malaysia. Yesterday, I met with Chery again, this time to listen to their plans to make Malaysia the export hub for ASEAN and other regions,” Zafrul said.

“God-willing, they will start exporting at the end of this year. I hope Chery’s success will encourage even more manufacturers to make Malaysia their production hub in the ASEAN region,” the MITI minister added.

This sentiment was also voiced by Chery Malaysia via its official statement, where the automaker stated that the establishment of the Shah Alam plant is a big part of its RM1 billion investment in Malaysia. Currently, the new Shah Alam plant only produces the local-spec Jaecoo J7 SUV, while other Chery models sold here are being assembled at its Inokom facility in Kulim, Kedah.

Chery International President Zhang Guibing (left) said the new Shah Alam plant (right) will also feature Chery's R&D hub for the right-hand-drive markets.

Moving forward, Chery International president Zhang Guibing previously confirmed that the newly-opened Chery Shah Alam plant will not only serve as the marque’s main regional production hub but also one of its main right-hand-drive (RHD) R&D centres. Beyond the ASEAN regional market, this R&D hub will also be tasked with developing models for other RHD markets, such as Australia, New Zealand, and even the UK.

Ultimately, this move is part of Chery International’s vast global expansion plan, where the Wuhu-based automaker is now exploring new overseas markets, including some from the Old Continent and the aforementioned RHD ones, too. The export markets have always been Chery’s bread and butter, as the automaker is often ranked as the top exporter among other Chinese automakers.