SHANGHAI: Chinese automaker Chery reported that it has maintained monthly sales of more than 100,000 units for 10 consecutive months, as of end-March 2023.

The group also saw a new sales record in the first quarter, as its cumulative sales increased 44.1% year-on-year.

The group pointed out that it has been China's top passenger car exporter for 20 consecutive years, and notched 11.2 million customers worldwide.

Chery has five global research and development centers and a network of 1,500 overseas dealers, with its vehicles sold in more than 80 countries and regions.

In Malaysia, Chery is due to start local assembly of the Tiggo 8 Pro and Omoda 5 in June followed by their launch in July.

The Tiggo 8 Pro will be available at launch with a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive configuration.

A plug-in hybrid combining a 1.5-litre turbo mill paired with two electric motors would likely arrive in 2024.



The 7-seat Tiggo 8 Pro should give the Proton X90 a good run for the money. The Proton SUV, also a 7-seater, is expected to launch by mid-2023.

As for the Omoda 5, Chery is expected to spec the 5-seat SUV with a 1.5l turbocharged powerplant though it's also available with a 1.6l turbo mill in other markets.

Malaysians can also look forward to the all-electric variant of the Omoda 5 coming after the first wave of combustion-engined SUVs.

Meanwhile, in conjunction with Auto Shanghai 2023, Chery will host nearly 1,000 overseas dealer representatives from more than 80 countries and regions at its 2023 Global Dealer Conference.

In a statement, the group said the conference is the first face-to-face communication between Chery and its global partners since the end of the three-year Covid-19 pandemic at its headquarters in China.

The conference aims to strengthen Chery's internationalisation strategy, and negotiate the group's future development plans with its global partners.

Driven by its "Yaoguang 2025" strategy, Chery aims to continue developing its new energy vehicle strategy with hybrids and battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

Meanwhile, at Auto Shanghai 2023, Chery launched a Green Public Welfare Fund Plan as the group says it continues to "play an active role in protecting the environment and building a better international community" and looks forward to working with various global public welfare organisations.

The group noted that it has been involved in aid and charity initiatives to help victims of Türkiye's devastating earthquake, public welfare activities for women in Kuwait, as well as care for children in South Africa's welfare homes.

Auto Shanghai (2023) saw the covers pulled off Chery International's all-electric Omoda 5 in what seems to be its final form before market release.





According to official company spokespersons, this electric vehicle has been earmarked for arrival in Malaysia as early as the first quarter of 2024 in two variants with a maximum range of 430km.

Gone is the Omoda 5's initial diamond-designed front grille but it still maintains its floating roof design, muscular sheet metal along its flanks and chiselled lines at the front and rear quarters - all while prominently showing off its Omoda nameplate up front and sporting a set of aero-designed wheels finished in a two-toned design.





Also on display was the company's upcoming flagship Tiggo 9 sports utility vehicle (SUV) that's currently in production in left-hand-drive form with deliveries in China expected to start in May.

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