Following the launch of its two hotly anticipated models – the Chery Tiggo 8 and Omoda 5 – Chery Malaysia reaffirmed its larger overarching plan of building up to 30k vehicles in a year for both Malaysia and other export markets.

However, admittedly, Chery Malaysia says this will still take time.

Also read: Priced from RM 109k, CKD Chery Omoda 5 launched in Malaysia: 2 variants, 1.5 turbo, full ADAS

Speaking at the launch event, Mr Shawn Xu, President of Chery Malaysia said, “We are in the first phase of the plan. Right now we still have to ramp sales and production.”

“We only have 2 models and a very initial dealer network consisting of 31 outlets. So, we need to ramp up very fast, but we still need time. We are also going to be adding a third model. With a third model, we can hope to approach those numbers,” he added.

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To that effect, Chery also confirmed yesterday that the company plans to introduce the Omoda 5 EV and crucially the Tiggo 7 Pro in 2024, which should bolster demand and contribute towards growing its volume.

However, a timeline on when Chery hopes to reach the 30k/year mark was not given.

Also read: First look at the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro, an X70 rival with a more premium interior

Concerning export activities – whereby Chery plans to make Malaysia its regional Hub for Right-Hand Drive (RHD) vehicles for the Southeast Asian and Oceania markets – Mr Xu said efforts will run concurrently with growing its Malaysian business.

“We are also preparing ourselves not just for local assembly, but localisation of parts supply. To prepare for exportation, we need components need to be localised first and this takes time. Our plan is to begin exporting by the second semester (H2) of next year,” he added.

Also read: Chery Tiggo 8 Pro launched in Malaysia: priced from RM 160k, 2.0T, 256 PS/390 Nm, Sony audio

Elaborating on which markets, Mr Xu added that Chery is looking to enter all major RHD markets in the world, these include Thailand, regions in South America and even the UK.

Thus, Chery will need all its RHD market production facilities to cater for the large volume of cars needed in these markets.