OMODA & JAECCO| The European Introduction
When I’m saying these two brands, you probably have never heard of them. But as of January they will be introduced in Belgium and further throughout Europe. That’s why we were invited by Chery Automobiles to come check out the models that they’ll be launching in Wuhu, China
But maybe first…
Chery? OMODA? JAECOO?
Let’s start with the basics, Chery is a Chinese automotive group. One that produces a staggering 2.6 million vehicles in 2024 alone. They produce cars for their own brand and sub-brands like we see with the Volkswagen Group or General Motors. Now Chery wants to expand its markets and it has done so already in the Middle-East and Africa, Australia.
OMODA and JAECOO are 2 of those sub-brands, these 2 brands have been specifically created for the markets outside of China.
OMODA is a portal to a parallel universe, through which you can explore infinite possibilities. OMODA inspires every OMODER to be who they want to be, connected by a shared open mind.
As a brand-new off-road brand, the name JAECOO is inspired by a fusion of the German word "Jäger" and the English word "Cool."
This melding captures both off-road and urbanism while exuding a refined style and quality that imparts a mission of brave exploration and unwavering perseverance.
Both of these brands will take models from existing brands in China and label them their corresponding models for the export markets.
Quite a good and clever strategy to streamline the amount of brands without overwhelming new customers and infrastructure with too many brands. The downside is that different brands from China will fall under one brand and create a bit of disparity in user interface between different models. OMODA will introduce the OMODA 5 whilst JAECOO will introduce the JAECOO 7 at market introduction in Europe.
Aren’t the Chinese just copying European cars?
That might be the initial thought but the days that China would just make clones of cars have been gone for quite a while. Sometimes we can still see they take inspiration from different brands but in general the Chinese have really stepped forward with their cars and they wanted to showcase this to us as well on their Tech Day.
See it as basically a car show just for their own brands & technologies they are developing. We were greeted by a robot dog that would shake his paw if you asked it and some were running around with drinks if you wanted any. At the center there was this concept for a flying car with a driverless “lounge” car. More technologies were showcased which were entertainment related with high end sound system demonstrations, as well as in-car gaming systems.
Furthermore they also showed high efficiency (up to 45%) ICE engines because yes, contrary to popular beliefs, OMODA and JAECOO aim to introduce both PHEVs as well as fully fledged BEVs.
And to show China is trying to stay ahead of the curve they’re also showcasing the development of hydrogen powertrains as well as various safety innovations or projections.
One thing they have understood well is creating lifestyle items that really fit the car and its purpose. Whether it’s accessories to put on the car on a branded inflatable raft, they’re really going all in.
Oh and as a final taste for what’s to come, they are developing a robot that will greet you at the dealership and will be able to answer any questions you have of the cars you’re interested in.
Off the beaten path
After the tech day it was time for us to drive some of their cars. 3 SUV models were chose for an off-road parcours. The JAECOO J6 (which is unfortunately not coming to the EU due to limitations in pedestrian safety), J7 and J8. The track was a very muddy path which nicely showed the calibration of the driving assists. None of the cars ever got stuck, even in the deeper mud and when trying to push past the limits all cars were always very well behaved and in control. Only the JAECOO J6 could be pushed a little in a corner giving you some safe and playful oversteer.
The launch of the JAECOO J5
In the evening we could enjoy the launch of the JAECOO J5. A small crossover aimed on conquering the outdoors. The presentation was held outdoors on JAECOO branded camping chairs and branded lights giving off a very cool atmosphere. During the presentation by the company CEO they revealed they’re the fastest growing car brand in the world. With over 360.000 sales in 32 markets over the whole world. The promise of JAECOO is to deliver cars with high efficiency as part of their environmental focus but also to liberate people and allow them to go wherever they desire.
Next the CEO drove onto the stage with his dog in the back (not a robot dog this time) highlighting the lifestyle aspect of the brand.
The JAECOO J5 will be available later this year with ICE, hybrid and EV powertrains and a huge “best-in-class” panoramic roof and an equally huge trunk (480 L and 1180 L expanded)
And as the Cher(r)y on top of the cake. Another J5 was present in a setting with it’s own branded trailer tent, dog washing station , camping chairs and table.
Driving some of the Omoda & Jaecoo products on the road
Well technically not the actual road as the international driving license is not recognized in China which meant we were limited driving on private property. Luckily the Chery Group has a large array of test areas for its vehicles on which we were able to drive. We drove the OMODA 9 more in depth which we’ll share more of our driving impressions in a separate article.
But we also got the opportunity to taste a few other models coming to the European market, as well as some models from Exlantix. Exlantix is their more premium brand but still under review whether they will introduce these models in Europe as well.
We can only say that we’ll hope we see these here as well, as those cars look very nice from both the outside and inside.
Factory floor
We conclude the trip with a visit to the factory. The chassis welding floor is a massive 40.300 square meters with as little as 150 employees. Everything is fully automated on this part and every component gets either welded or glued in by hundreds of robots.
Moving further to the assembly floor and it’s similar to what you see from other companies with the assembly line setup. Since installation of most of these parts require a lot more manpower, 1000 people per shift work on the assembly floor but being aided by machines to improve ergonomics and efficiency.
Aiming to take the market by storm
The general verdict is that the Chinese have been really pushing to improve the quality of their cars and might now be able to compete with some of the European brands. Prices have yet to be announced
