Chery makes its official Malaysian comeback, on social media
CY Foong · Mar 1, 2022 04:00 PM
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2022 will be the year where we could see some familiar carmakers making a comeback into Malaysia and one of them is Chery. According to sources close to the Chinese carmaker, Chery is set to return in Q3 2022 but before its physical launch, it has set up an online presence to keep the buzz going.
The Chery Malaysia Facebook page under the @cherymalaysiaofficial name was created on 13-October 2021 and since then, the page has been constantly updated with information on the Chinese carmaker and some of its upcoming models.
This is not to be confused with another Chery Malaysia page under the @cherymalaysia tag which was handled by Chery’s former Malaysian distributors, Chery Automobile (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd. It was formerly known as Chery Alado Automobile Sdn Bhd and was famous for distributing the Chery Eastar MPV, the first popular Chinese car in the country.
But this is not the same Chery as the ones that went on a hiatus for 4 years and while the Tiggo name is returning in at least 3 upcoming models, they are far from being the Toyota RAV4 copycats.
According to our sources, Chery is set to bring in a line-up that will consist mostly of SUVs including the Tiggo 4 Pro, Tiggo 7 Pro, Tiggo 8 Pro, and the Omoda 5.
Top to bottom: Tiggo 4 Pro, Tiggo 7 Pro, Tiggo 8 Pro
The trio of Tiggos will be breathing down the neck of Proton’s highly-successful rebadged Geely SUVs. The Tiggo 4 Pro will be competing directly against the Proton X50, the Tiggo 7 Pro will be battling the Proton X70, and the Tiggo 8 Pro will duel against the upcoming Proton X90.
Meanwhile, the Omoda 5 is set to be one of Chery’s most important global models as it will be exported to more than 30 countries, including Malaysia. The Omoda 5 will be competing against the Toyota Corolla Cross and the Honda HR-V in the highly competitive subcompact (B/C-segment) market and will be available in both petrol and electrified versions.
Speaking of electric, Chery could also be bringing the adorable and affordable eQ1 electric vehicle (EV) into Malaysia. The micro battery electric vehicle (BEV) could be the spark that sees more Malaysians willing to go electric, at least around the city.
With an ambitious-sounding line-up, perhaps Chery’s decision to set up a social media presence before its eventual launch later in the year is a good one to gather all the buzz. However, Malaysia isn’t the only country that saw Chery using the same strategy prior to a proper launch.
Chery set up its official Indonesian page on Facebook on 7-February 2021, which is a little more than a year before its comeback launch in the archipelago. Perhaps the day the page was created might give a clue into when Chery will make its Malaysian return?
Traded advertising for a career that fits his passion for cars. Enjoys spotting cars during his free time and has a soft spot for Japanese Kei cars but drives a thirsty manual sedan.
