The arrival of its Dashing will be complemented by the opening of 10 Jetour dealerships nationwide.
While not much has been heard from Jetour since its initial local appearance at the Malaysia Autoshow in May last year, the Chinese automaker has nevertheless since announced that it has some big plans over here for 2025. This yet another subsidiary under the wider Chery automotive umbrella has teased that it will officially make landfall locally within the first quarter of 2025, and its Dashing mid-sized SUV is set to become its debut model.
What more is that Jetour — which is incidentally pronounced ‘Jietu’ by the way — has recently further revealed that it aims to establish over 20 service outlets nationwide by the end of this year, with apparently 10 new facilities of 4S and 3S centres slated to open in the first quarter alone. So while many may have yet to even hear of this brand before now, it could potentially be another Jaecoo scenario where there is a Jetour on every street corner in Malaysia by year’s end.
And in its aim to do just that, the Dashing will not be the only model it plans to debut locally over the next 12 months. Jetour has also recently teased that it will be launching a fully-electric model come the second quarter of this year, while its Defender-esque T2 will be landing locally in purely-petrol and electrified form next year.
Just discussing a little bit more on the Dashing too here, it is interesting to note that this mid-sized SUV will apparently be locally-assembled after an initial batch of fully-imported models. Jetour however is currently still rather tight lipped on who exactly is their CKD partner for now, and has yet to also provide an estimate selling price for its premiere model. Given though that its sister Jaecoo brand has managed to slide its similarly-sized J7 into the market at around the RM 150k – RM 160k mark, it is not too hard to presume for this Jetour to cost around that same ballpark too.
The Jetour Dashing currently measures in at a 4,590 mm in length, 1,900 mm in width and features a wheelbase of 2,720 mm. This puts it about the same size as the current Mazda CX-5, as well as the Proton X70.
While the Dashing is to be based upon Jetour’s in-house Kunlun architecture, this SUV nevertheless does net the same brace of powertrains that is found in the wider Chery family. This includes the option of a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder from the Omoda 5 or a 1.6-litre boosted four-pot from the Jaecoo J7, with both paired up to a 7-speed wet dual-clutch transmission driving the front wheels in this particular application.
Now true to its Dashing name, this Jetour is certainly a rather dashing thing to look at. Its face especially is particularly striking, with it featuring a pair of slim LED headlights that sit atop arguably one of the largest front grilles in the industry.
Moving on round the side meanwhile, the Dashing’s chunky lower half is accentuated by a set of flush door handles and dual-tone alloy wheels. Its svelte top half in turn is highlighted by a chromed accent trim and Jetour badge (alá BMW X2) on its D-pillar, while the Y-shaped ends of its wraparound taillights leads onto a set of quad exhaust tips and stylised third brake light situated within the integrated diffuser and roof spoilers respectively on the shapely rump of this SUV.
And finally finishing off within, the Dashing’s rather straight-edged and minimalistic dashboard layout is only broken up by a two-spoke steering wheel and a 15.6-inch floating central touchscreen. Other tech highlights within this Jetour SUV worth a mention includes a carbon monoxide monitor and a display on the driver’s door that shows the external environment temperature, with the Chinese automaker touting too for its 8-speaker Sony in-car HiFi able to fully capitalise on the 36 dB sound levels within its ‘silent cabin’.
“2025 is a pivotal year for Jetour Malaysia as we embark on this exciting journey in Malaysia,” said Mr Kevin Xu, Vice President of Jetour International.
“Our goal is to become Malaysians’ preferred travel companion, offering vehicles that inspire adventure and embody our dedication to quality and innovation. With our expanding network of service outlets and comprehensive support infrastructure, we are committed to ensuring accessibility and reliability for our customers. These efforts reflect our commitment to building a strong and enduring connection with the Malaysian market.”
“Jetour’s entry into Malaysia represents a long-term commitment to fostering growth, driving innovation, and contributing to the local automotive industry. With its growing footprint and innovative product line-up, JETOUR Malaysia is poised to deliver a year of endless adventures for Malaysian drivers,” Mr Kevin concluded.
