Malaysia's week centred on the paultan.org Auto Car Expo (ACE) on October 31 and November 1, where Chinese brands showed upcoming locally assembled models and bundled rebates. A safety action on the Omoda 5 was the heavier story.

Omoda 5: type approval withdrawn

Chery Chairman Yin Tongyue apologised over repeated rear-suspension failures on the Omoda 5 in Malaysia, where the suspension detached from the body in 2024 and again shortly before mid-October 2026. Malaysia has withdrawn the model's type approval, so new units cannot be registered while the investigation continues. Chery has called in 8,878 cars for inspection and says it will replace parts free if a defect is found (report).

Expo: local assembly and rebates

Several launches are tied to Malaysian assembly. GWM previewed the Ora 5 HEV ahead of a November launch at an estimated RM115,000, with local assembly confirmed (report). Omoda showed the C7, with both petrol and plug-in hybrid versions to be assembled in Shah Alam and the petrol model estimated at RM160,000 (report). Leapmotor's B03X made its Malaysian debut as a preview, with a first-half 2027 launch and assembly at Gurun, Kedah expected (report). iCaur's V23 is now assembled locally in its all-wheel-drive form (report).

MG put its locally assembled ZS on sale at RM103,900 for the 1.5 Turbo and RM109,900 for the Hybrid+, both below earlier estimates (report). JAC's T9 PHEV pickup has an estimated RM162,000 price, between the T9 diesel at RM120,000 and T9 EV at RM200,000 (report).

The show deals were rebates rather than list-price changes: Chery cut RM15,000 off the Tiggo 7 Pro (normally RM123,800) (report), Jetour offered RM10,000 and RM15,000 off the Dashing Prime and VT9 Prime (report), and Leapmotor offered a chance to win a rebate of up to RM5,000 on the B10 and C10 (report).

Infrastructure and investment

Denza opened its eighth Malaysian 4S centre in Balakong (report), and BYD Malaysia and Gentari signed an MoU to explore BYD Flash Charging, starting with selected Denza showrooms (report). The Automotive High-Tech Valley in Tanjong Malim has recorded RM7 billion in realised investment since 2018, with Geely described as 23.3% of the RM30 billion overall estimate through 2035 (report). Proton and Geely brands are expected to add Google built-in from the second half of 2027 (report).

What it means

  • Local assembly is the common feature of the new Malaysian line-up, from the Ora 5 and C7 to the ZS and V23.
  • The Omoda 5 action shows what is at stake in that model: regulators here withdrew type approval and the investigation extends to suppliers.