Chery Group (Nearly) Reaches Half Of Local Honda Sales In March 2026

Honda is still selling 2 cars for every car the wider Chery group combined managed to deliver. 

While the so-called Chinese wave hitting Malaysian shores may have been the big story rocking the local automotive scene of late, the latest March 2026 sales figures suggest that this “tsunami” isn’t quite the great disruptor some naysayers are predicting… at least not just yet. Such is evident when the wider Chery group collectively managed to deliver roughly half the volume of Honda in the same month.

Breaking that down a little further:

• Omoda | Jaecoo: 1,494
• Chery: 892
• Jetour: 790
• iCaur: 257

Total: 3,433 units

• Honda: 7,062 units

Now this statistic in itself opens up two very different schools of thought:

On one hand, one could argue that there is still quite a long runway before any “Chinese tsunami” truly overturns the established order. The traditional big players still command a very comfortable lead after all, and those in the big T and big H can probably continue breathing a mild sigh of relief from this for now.

But then again, a closer look at that gap may reveal that it may not be as reassuring as it first appears.

March’s sales chart does already see Omoda Jaecoo sitting firmly in 5th place overall, right up the backside of Honda. And while yes, there is still a sizeable gulf in absolute numbers, the trajectory is nevertheless clear. For a relatively new entrant to climb that high that quickly is no small feat, and it suggests that these Chinese brands are gaining traction at pace.

If anything too, this current wave may simply be the precursor to the actual “tsunami” many are talking about. There are already whispers on the automotive grapevine of even more Chinese brands preparing to enter Malaysia, with this recent brouhaha between MITI and BYD not exactly causing many to turn away (just yet).

In fact, even Chery itself is already preparing to introduce yet another brand locally. And while some might argue this further increases its risk of doing a British Leyland and cannibalising its own sales with so many brands, it has to be said that, at the end of the day, the mothership still wins. Whether a customer buys a Chery, an Omoda, a Jaecoo or a Jetour, the revenue ultimately flows back to the same parent.

Either way, the takeaway from March 2026 is fairly clear. The incumbents may still be sitting pretty on their high horses, but the challengers are now well and truly within striking distance.

And for those who just want the raw numbers, here’s how the top-selling marques stacked up last month:

Top 20 Best-Selling Car Brands In Malaysia (March 2026)