Has Stellantis Malaysia Axed Plans To Revive Jeep Brand Locally?

Yes, you read that right. It seems Stellantis Malaysia may have just shelved plans to reboot the Jeep brand, and the baton for which has been passed to another entity.

Initially, Stellantis Malaysia Planned To Reboot Jeep

Loyal followers of Carz.com.my will remember how multi-national automaking giant Stellantis established its National Sales Company (NSC) in Malaysia early last year. Whilst it wasn’t the smoothest of starts, it actually held a lot of promise then.

Fuelling the latter sentiments were the firm’s then confirmed plans to re-launch a slew ‘core brands’ whilst also introducing new ones. The latter came in the form of Leapmotor, which promises to shift to a higher pace soon thanks to newly announced local production (CKD) plans.

Despite the firm’s somewhat respectable efforts in re-launching the Peugeot brand, it seems their initial promise of rebooting several other marques may remain unfulfilled. One brand that won’t be returning under it is Jeep.

Now closed Audi Setia Alam, formerly operated by Goh Brothers (Goh Brothers Motor)

Enter Goh Brothers

Recently, Singaporean financial daily The Business Times reported that a firm called Red Rock & Rosso Motor (Red Rock), which is linked to Malaysian businessman Goh Kian Sin, will serve as distributor for the Jeep brand in both Singapore and Malaysia.

Thanks to the resourceful online sleuthing done by industry colleagues over at WapCar.my, their regulatory filing research reveals Goh to be founder and managing director of the Oriental Castle Group – the Red Rock firm’s sole shareholder.

The same report adds that the group operates a successful and vast automotive retail portfolio in Malaysia under the Goh Brothers banner. It includes retail showrooms for Audi, BYD, Lexus, Proton (smart Automobiles), Toyota, and Volkswagen brands.

Local two-wheel fans will know Goh Brothers better as the formidable firm importing and distributing Harley-Davidson, Aprilia, Vespa, Piaggio, Moto Guzzi, Royal Enfield, as well as Triumph Motorcycles.

Additionally, the Goh Brothers entity has an arguably stronger portfolio as distributor of major motorcycle brands in Malaysia. It includes Harley-Davidson, Piaggio Group (Aprilia, Vespa, Piaggio and Moto Guzzi), Royal Enfield, as well as Triumph Motorcycles.

We’ll even note that the Goh Brothers two-wheels arm has been strongly linked with rumours of taking over the local Ducati brand distributorship from rivals Naza Auto. However, despite this rumour being around for years, this has not materialised yet.

Alfa Romeo, a posh and sporty Italian brand that once thrived in Malaysia, is not on the cards here...

Alfa Romeo 'Not On The Cards'

Back to Red Rock and whilst The Business Times initially indicated that the firm inked an agreement with global parent Stellantis to distribute both Jeep and Alfa Romeo brands in Malaysia and Singapore, local sources have said that this is inaccurate.

Instead, we were reliably informed that Alfa Romeo – last handled locally by Sime Darby Auto Connexion (Sime Motors) – will return to Malaysia through another unnamed party. We’ll have a separate follow up report on this once more details come to light.

We’ll also point out that the Alfa Romeo brand was not on the cards for revival by Stellantis Malaysia. More specifically, besides Peugeot and Leapmotor, the firm named both Jeep and Citroën in their initial plans. 

Over the last decade, we can confirm there were three attempts to reboot Jeep locally, with the last two failing in just a few short years after opening their doors. Could things be different this time?

Third Time’s The Charm?

From our past feature, you’d know that this renewed reboot attempt initially spearheaded by Stellantis Malaysia but now passed on to the Goh Brothers firm marks the Jeep brand’s third revival bid in Malaysia over a span of 10 years.

And unlike its efforts for Citroën, which even saw some new metal being shown locally and publicly, Stellantis Malaysia never reached a similar and substantial stage with Jeep beyond several teasers.

In fact, industry sources say Goh Brothers are poised to formally announce things as early as next month (July), meaning we have not long to wait. The only other question left then is what models and products the firm plans to offer Malaysians with.

Could we see this reboot include the new Jeep Wagoneer S global EV model included?

Would you even fancy 'legacy' Jeep models like the Wrangler or Cherokee and Grand Cherokee should they return officially to Malaysia?

We’re certain that signature – read: familiar – nameplates like the Wrangler, Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, as well as the Compass, could all return. Perhaps these will arrive alongside the new Wagoneer S – the marque’s latest global EV offering.

We’ll bring you further updates on this as soon as details come to light officially. For now, it appears almost certain that Stellantis Malaysia will NOT have direct involvement in reviving Jeep in Malaysia despite initially promising which.

With everything we’ve just reported, what do you folks reckon? Does Jeep stand a chance in our market today despite the presence of affordably priced Chinese rivals? Share your take on this in the comments below…