During the rollout of the completely knocked down (CKD) locally-assembled Jaecoo J7 at its new Shah Alam plant, Chery International confirmed that it has selected Malaysia as its global right-hand-drive research and development hub.

Speaking to media sources at a press conference in Malaysia, president Zhang Quibing said the country will be tasked with developing right-hand drive (RHD) versions of its cars not just for local and Southeast Asian consumption, but also for markets like the UK and Australia.

He further added that Malaysia was chosen for its tropical climate - ideal for hot weather testing - as well as its expertise in the automotive industry, which features local players Proton and Perodua.

However, it's currently unclear if Malaysia will also become the global production hub for RHD vehicles. It was previously reported by media sources that Chery production at the Inokom plant in Kulim, Kedah is at full capacity, and while the Chery Corporate Malaysia facility in Shah Alam - which is currently reserved for Jaecoo-badged vehicles - has been built with export markets in mind, media sources claim to have been told that the modestly-sized factory has only been earmarked for ASEAN production for now.

In 2023, Indonesian media sources reported that Chery selected the archipelago as its RHD production hub. However, that was in February, 2023, and there has been no news on that front since then.