Omoda, the car brand incoming from China, isn’t too far away from launching in Europe. The new 5 SUV, pictured here, will hit the UK market in March 2024.

CAR has spoken to several executives getting the brand off the ground in Europe and the UK, and has had an up-close preview of the new Omoda 5 – the brand’s first car to launch here.

Who or what is Omoda?
Omoda is part of the Chery group, an auto maker that is currently the ninth biggest in its home market. In fact, the Omoda 5 is already on sale in China as the Chery Omoda 5 and in other markets around the world including Australia. Wenlong Liu, brand manager of Chery Automotive Company, said that Chery had been the biggest car exporter in China for two decades; last year it sold 450,000 vehicles outside the domestic market – and now it’s turning its attention to Europe.

‘We took the decision not to include the Chery name [for Europe],’ UK branding manager Matthew Upton tells CAR. ‘We wanted a fresh start for a new brand and for it to look at a younger demographic.

‘The value proposition you get from Omoda is really impressive,’ adds Upton. ‘For the money, some of the technology you’ll normally only find on much higher-end vehicles.’

The name is derived from two sources: O being associated with oxygen (yes, that bit’s a little nonsensical), and ‘Moda’ is synonymous with fashion. ‘The main thing with the brand is there’s a big focus on fashion,’ says Upton, ‘and it being a brand of stylish SUVs with a focus on design.’

On top of that, Omoda is known for adding a little extra to the ownership experience. In its home market, owners are called Omoders, with Omoda saying they get access to the ‘O-Club’ which is touted as a social platform for the brand’s community and additional experiences. The approach sounds likea blending of Nio’s lounge-like ‘House’ locations and the DS ‘Only You’ scheme designed to give you access to exclusive events. Upton says the Omoda team are still fine-tuning the European version of this, with more details to come.

Tell me about the Omoda 5…
The new Omoda 5 is a mid-size SUV that will go on sale in March 2024, pitched as a rival to the Hyundai Kona and Toyota C-HR. It’s a compact crossover measuring 4.4 metres long.

Omoda’s new 5 SUV seemingly blends design cues from the Nissan Ariya, Lexus NX and Hyundai Kona with an enormous grille that looks almost as if it’s completely flush with the front bumper, a full-width rear light bar and lots of colourful accents on the trim pictured. The EV version has a much cleaner and more modern-looking front fascia, including angled new lights.

Inside, meanwhile, has a clean design including a high-mounted infotainment screen and places to put your phone similar to Tesla’s range of cars. There’s a single, wide panel mounted atop the dashboard that incorporates the car’s digital instrument cluster and a central touchscreen, and the infotainment system includes a voice assistant that has the ability to operate certain functions like the sunroof without touching a button.

Two specifications of the Omoda 5 will be launched: Comfort (for £24,000) and Noble (for £27,000).

Omoda 5 Comfort – Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, auto tailgate, wireless charging for two phones, Sony stereo – priced from £24,000

Our studio preview of the 5 SUV gave us an opportunity to experience the interior quality and technology first-hand on an Australian-spec Omoda 5 Noble. Overall, the interior quality is reasonably strong – the buttons on the steering wheel feel solid and the interior touch points all feel well screwed together. The large amount of gloss black panelling on the centre console will smudge fast, however. The screens operated quickly and, while the graphics aren’t of the utmost resolution, the system felt reasonably logical to use (unlike, for example, the tech on the MG 4). Elsewhere, rear space is reasonable – even for a 6ft tall adult – as it the boot space offered.

What powers the Omoda 5?
The brand says the 5 SUV will be available with a 1.6-litre petrol engine that develops 187bhp and 203lb ft, and an EV version is coming too. Omoda says the 5 has already achieved a five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating, and features driver assistance tech like adaptive cruise, lane keep assist, auto high beam and more as standard.

The petrol Omoda 5 doesn’t appear to have very competitive efficiency figures; the combined headline figure stands at 31.4mpg and CO2 emissions of 170g/km are surprisingly high, too.

What’s different about the Omoda 5 EV?

Omoda says the electric model will launch at the same time as the combustion-powered one in March 2024. Prices haven’t been announced yet, but we expect the 5 EV to close in on £30k in the UK market.

Aside from a revised design that goes for aerodynamic efficiency at the front, the Omoda 5 electric model will feature a 61kWh battery pack and a 201bhp electric motor that drives the front wheels. Omoda says the 5 EV is capable of a 0-62mph sprint in 7.6 seconds, and claims a 280-mile range.

What else can we expect from Omoda?
A hybrid version of the Omoda 5 is expected to launch by the end of 2024. After that, Omoda is going full steam ahead by launching more models in Europe and the UK in the years to come.

Over the next three years, Omoda will launch the 3 (a small crossover that’ll rival the Ford Puma and Vauxhall Mokka), the 7 (which is described as ‘Tucson or Sportage-size’ by UK director, Victor Zhang) and the 9 (which will be a similar size to a Range Rover Sport or Porsche Cayenne).

Zhang also says the aim is for Omoda to provide different powertrains, including hybrids and plug-in hybrids, where it suits the car and market best. ‘We think the UK, for example, is still not fully ready for EVs at the moment,’ he says. ‘I know there’s the 2030 ban coming, but ICE cars will still play a big role for the next one to three years.

‘Other Chinese brands like Ora, Nio and BYD are focusing entirely on EVs for Europe, but we’re doing a whole range – which makes us different from the rest.’

But what about the dealers?
In a step away from various initiatives from various car makers to introduce agency models, subscription services or online sales, UK branding manager Upton confirms that Omoda will sell its cars via traditional dealerships where you can still buy a car in the building. 50 are planned for the UK. ‘We’ll have them in the most popular cities first,’ says Upton, adding that ‘it will be a traditional dealership initially once we’ve set up.’

Omoda is also going to offer a seven-year warranty on its new cars, and include an eight-year battery warranty.