Jaecoo J7 SUV Set to Make ASEAN Debut in Malaysia

Malaysia will be the first ASEAN market to debut the Jaecoo J7 SUV

In case you missed it, the local automotive market is about to welcome yet another contender from China, and this time it’s in the form of Jaecoo – a sub-brand of Chery that focuses on luxury off-roading SUVs. Already making its appearance in several emerging global markets, Jaecoo is poised to penetrate the ASEAN regional market by launching the much-anticipated Jaecoo J7 SUV later this year.

Malaysia has been selected as the first Southeast Asian market to welcome the J7, making us among the earliest right-hand drive (RHD) markets to get this off-roading urban SUV officially. Besides both Malaysia and the ASEAN markets, the J7 has already received positive reception from its launch in several emerging markets, with the latest one being in Mexico earlier this week.

Earlier this year, Jaecoo Malaysia held a special preview event of both the J7 and J8 SUVs

Prior to its debut, Jaecoo Malaysia previewed both the J7 and J8 in an exclusive media event earlier this year, where selected local media and potential investors were given the opportunity to size up these products firsthand. Featuring sleek styling with modern amenities and decent off-road-ready powertrain specs, both the J7 and J8 are poised to further heat up the local SUV segments, which already saw plenty of models coming in recent years.

To further showcase the off-roading prowess of the J7, Jaecoo Malaysia recently put the SUV model through the renowned M4TREC off-roading test. Thanks to its cutting-edge Road Drive Intelligent System (ARDIS), the J7 successfully passed numerous extreme off-road tests, including roller ramps, articulation tests, ridge crossings, and more.

Developed in-house by Jaecoo engineers, the ARDIS system equips the J7 with several driving modes for multiple off-road scenarios, including dedicated ones for snow, mud, and sand surfaces. This all-wheel drive (AWD) system is linked to the J7’s stellar 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbocharged mill and a seven-speed DCT gearbox, where the marque claims to boast similar performance as a 2.0-litre turbocharged unit used by some of its rivals.

With a total system output of 197 PS and 290 NM, the J7 can accelerate from nought to 30 KM/H in 2.9 seconds, while its decent peak torque figure allows the car to perform excellently well on loose surfaces and other off-road conditions.

The Jaecoo J7 is set to make its ASEAN debut later in Q2 this year, where Malaysia will be the first market in this region to get them officially. Following the debut of the J7, we can expect to see more Jaecoo products, including the J8 three-row SUV, make their way into our market some time in the future.