Chery’s Jetour unit plans right-hand drive cars to expand to Malaysia and Indonesia as competition escalates in China’s automotive market

Carmaker expects right-hand drive models to power growth over the next three to five years

Left-hand drive vehicles make up over 80 per cent of the world car market, but UK, Australia and some Southeast Asian countries use cars with right-hand drive

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A Jetour SUV is on display at the Auto China Show in Beijing on April 25, 2024. Photo: Daniel Ren

Published: 7:00am, 30 Apr 2024Updated: 3:53pm, 30 Apr 2024

Jetour, a Chinese sport-utility vehicle (SUV) builder owned by Chery Holding Group, plans to manufacture two right-hand drive models this year to accelerate its globalisation drive targeting markets like Malaysia and Indonesia.

Jacky Chen, general manager of Jetour’s international business, told the Post that the company expects monthly deliveries of the soon-to-be-launched right-hand drive vehicles to reach 3,000 units this year amid the rising popularity of Chinese-made cars.

Delivery volumes may grow to 7,000 units a month in 2025 when another two or three right-hand drive models hit the markets, he added.

“Right-hand drive cars will be the new growth engine for us in the coming three to five years,” Chen said in an interview on the sidelines of the Auto China Show in Beijing last Thursday. “We are prepared to tap the markets after the specific models are fully developed.”

Jacky Chen, general manager of Jetour Auto International. Photo: SCMP Handout

Jetour, which currently builds only left-hand drive cars, will unveil its first right-hand drive model, a seven-seat mid-size crossover called X70 this month before shipping a compact SUV model.

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