PODCAST: Jaecoo J7, Omoda C5 just the start for Chery brands

The Omoda C5 and the Jaecoo J7 were introduced locally as two of Chery’s sub-brands in the last year. And that is just the start for the ambitious Chinese carmaker in South Africa.

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In this week’s edition of The Citizen Motoring’s Pitstop podcast, Jaco van der Merwe. Mark Jones and Charl Bosch look at what South African car buyers can expect from Jaecoo and Omoda.

Jones saw some of the products in the pipeline as a guest of Chery in China last month. Apart from the core Chery brand, expect other models to join the Jaecoo J7 and Omoda C5 crossover soon.

Chery returned to the local market in 2021 after a short ill-fated stint over a decade ago. The manufacturer started with a trio of SUVs in the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro, Tiggo 7 Pro and 8 Pro.

The Chery Tiggo 9 is set to arrive in due. A plug-in version of this model completed a 1 214km trip on a full tank and single charge when Jones was in China.

Omoda arrives in Mzansi

Last year, the futuristic-looking Omoda C5 became the first model of the sub-brand strategy. Later in year it received a sibling in the form of the Omoda C5 GT.

ALSO READ: Chery hits the sweet spot with the Jaecoo J7

Next up for the sub-brand will be the all-electric Omoda E5, followed by the plug-in hybrid C7. The manufacturer claims the Omoda C7 will have a range of over 1 200km on a full tank of petrol and fully charged battery.

Other models on the table are a cheaper Omoda C5, the smaller C3 and the large C9.

Jaecoo J7 joins in

Chery’s second local sub-brand, Jaecoo, was introduced locally this year. The Jaecoo J7 is described as an urban off-roader and received a fair bit of hype before its introduction.

Jam-packed with features, the smart-looking Jaecoo J7 is powered by the familiar 145kW/290Nm, 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine. The engine is also found in other core Chery and Omoda products.

A seven-speed dual clutch transmission sends the power to the front wheels in two of the derivatives and to all four corners in the flagship offering.

New Jaecoo models on the horizon include a plug-in hybrid of both the J7 and J8 and the all-electric J6 off-roader.