Two units of Jaecoo J7 AWD have arrived in Malaysia ahead of its local introduction next year.
Another day, another Chinese automaker announces that it will be making landfall in Malaysia soon. And this time round it is the turn of Jaecoo, who have recently brought in two units of its J7 AWD SUV over here for road testing, ahead of its local introduction some time in 2024.
Now for those unfamiliar with Jaecoo, they are actually to be a subsidiary of Chery. Though in a similar move pulled by Toyota with Lexus however, this new sub-brand of the Chinese automaker is instead intended to target the slightly more affluent and discerning buyers.
To that end therefore, this soon-to-arrive CR-V competitor features a more premium aesthetic than its similarly-sized Omoda 5 sibling. The J7’s sleeker upright silhouette is bookended an imposing rectangular slatted front grill and pixelated LED rear light bar, with dual tone alloy wheels and a floating island roof completing the exterior picture.
Moving on inside meanwhile, its interior too (on the face of it at least) looks to be a step above what is currently offered in the Tiggo 8 Pro. Highlights within the J7 includes a 14.7-inch portrait-oriented central infotainment screen and intricate vertical air vents on its dashboard, which looks to adds a touch of upmarket class to befit its slightly elevated status within the Chery hierarchy.
Speaking of the Tiggo 8 Pro though, driving all four wheels of this five-seater SUV is set to be the same 1.6-litre turbocharged four pot and 7-speed dual-clutch transmission as in the aforementioned Chery. Official Malaysian power and torque figures are thus far unknown, but its Chinese counterpart currently outputs 186 PS and 275 Nm respectively.
It is yet unknown too as to when exactly this new sub-brand of Chery will be making its local debut, though it will be sometime within the next 12 months. Jaecoo has also since recently announced the launch of its official Facebook page, while its Malaysian website is set to go live by January 2024.
Further news regarding this new local arrival into the competitive mid-sized SUV market will likely be forthcoming too, as Jaecoo plans to start preliminary pre-introduction marketing initiatives with its J7. And if anyone out there is interested in actually being on the other end of the car-buying process, Jaecoo Malaysia has initiated their dealer recruitment program to get ready for the first model introduction next year. Car dealers or investors who are interested can now reach out to their designated network representative for more information, Ms. Mandy Yip, at 013-36666 55, email: [email protected].
