Little-known car brand launches in the UK with two bargain-priced SUVs ready to challenge best-selling Nissan Qashqai
A LITTLE-known car brand has arrived in the UK – ready to take on the likes of Nissan and Kia.
Chinese firm Omoda is the latest to enter the UK and they’re kicking things off with two incredibly low-priced new models.
Omoda will launch their Omoda 5 model at just £25,235 for the most basic model, and that increases to £33,055 for the electric iteration, called the E5.
For that price, it appears Omoda is hoping to rival the Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai – two massive sellers in the UK – and maybe even the UK’s second-hand market.
Speaking to CAR Magazine, Omoda’s UK product manager Oliver Lowe said: “We’re at a price point where actually we’re not that far off some used car purchases, but you get a brand new car, you’ve got that confidence of the warranty, you’ve got that confidence of the breakdown cover for it.
“It’s something new and fresh, it’s yours for the first time.”
Who are Chinese car brand Omoda?
Omoda is one of the world’s newest car brands, having been founded in 2022.
The Chinese maker is all systems go in the UK and will look to move further into continental Europe over the next year.
Omoda is part of Chery, a state-owned Chinese car company.
Indeed, the vehicles we’re getting in the UK are actually badged as Chery models in China and other markets.
Originally, Chery planned to launch its brand in Europe with one of its other brands called Exeed, but this was put on hold as the Covid-19 pandemic swept across the world.
Like most new brands coming from the Chinese car industry, Omoda is heavily invested in EV tech.
However, unlike other Chinese brands arriving in the UK, such as Aiways, BYD and Ora, Omoda will also sell a number of petrol and hybrid cars.
Featuring a 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine, the Omoda 5 and E5 are available in two trim levels; Comfort and Noble.
Standard equipment includes 18-inch alloy wheels, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 50W wireless charging pad, heated steering wheel, reversing camera and keyless entry.
The driver assistance suite includes adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection and traffic jam assist.
As mentioned, Omoda will provide buyers with a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty on all its cars, which are available to order now with deliveries to begin later this year.
Omoda already has a 60-strong dealership network in place in the UK – from Aberdeen down to Saint Austell in Cornwall – and they plan for that to rise to 130 by the end of next year.
The Chery-owned Chinese brand already sells cars in more than 40 markets globally, ranging from continental Europe, Africa, Australia and other Asian countries.
From here, Omoda will release at least two models next year, with the first of those set to be a larger SUV that could be comparable in size to the Range Rover Sport and Porsche Cayenne.
There’s also the 3, which will be a small crossover ready to rival the likes of the Ford Puma and Vauxhall Mokka, while the upcoming 7 has been described as “Tucson or Sportage-size” by their UK director Victor Zhang.
This comes as Audi recently revealed a bold new look for their next Q5 model – one of the German marque’s best-selling cars.
And elsewhere, Aston Martin have unveiled their new 214mph Vanquish – some six years after the nameplate was discontinued.