Chery Auto plans to build factories in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand

Beijing (Gasgoo)- Chery Automobile, the renowned Chinese automaker, unveiled its strategic plans for the ASEAN market during the China-ASEAN Forum on Emerging Industries on July 5. 

OMODA 5; photo credit: Chery Auto

Qu Jizong, Executive Vice General Manager of Chery Automobile's Indonesian subsidiary, shared insights into the company's strategies, highlighting its intent to establish manufacturing facilities in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand as production bases for internal combustion engine, plug-in hybrid electric, and battery electric vehicles. This move aims to achieve model complementarity and leverage regional advantages to ensure comprehensive vehicle coverage across the ASEAN region.

Chery Automobile has maintained its position as the top China's wholly-owned brand for passenger vehicle exports for 20 consecutive years. In 2022, Chery exported around 450,000 vehicles in total. Coming to this year, the automaker expects to see its annual export volume reach approximately 700,000 vehicles. 

In Indonesia, Chery is investing in the construction of an automotive assembly plant, with monthly sales continuing to increase. Xu Qingsong, Vice General Manager of Chery International said on another forum in June that the affinity for Chery vehicles among Indonesian consumers is growing, with recognition for the brand's futuristic design and technological advancements. The outlook for the Indonesian market is highly promising.

According to Indonesian media outlet Republika, on March 21 this year, Chery's Indonesian sales company, PT Chery Sales Indonesia, announced the production commencement of the CKD kit of its global-oriented compact SUV, the OMODA 5, in Indonesia. 

Meanwhile, in the Malaysian market, Chery had a remarkable presence at the recent Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show. Numerous attendees queued up to test drive Chery vehicles, resulting in over 1,000 customer orders in just a few days, said Xu Qingsong. 

Moreover, Xu Qingsong stated, "Each ASEAN country is increasing efforts to attract investment." He further emphasized Chery's proactive expansion in Thailand, the Philippines, and other countries. Over the next two to three years, Chery plans to introduce up to 12 new energy vehicle models, including pure electric and hybrid vehicles, further solidifying the company’s footprint in the ASEAN region.