Omoda and Jaecoo have big UK plans: Chinese brands plot 5 SUVs and 130 dealers before 2026

Having successfully launched one model apiece, Chinese sister brands Omoda and Jaecoo are planning to introduce three more SUVs to the UK in quick succession and expand their dealership network to 130 locations before the end of the year.

Omoda and Jaecoo are owned by China’s biggest car exporter, Chery. Their first offering to Brits was the value-focused Omoda 5, which went on sale last summer priced from around £24k, undercutting key rival the Nissan Qashqai. There’s also an electric version called the Omoda E5.

The Jaecoo 7 touched down more recently, with a clearly Land Rover-inspired look, ready to take on a host of successful SUVs from the striking yet practical Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, to the more premium MINI Countryman.

Speaking to Auto Express at the UK launch of the J7, Omoda and Jaecoo’s UK product manager Oliver Lowe laid out what else the newcomers have planned for this year. 

Next to arrive is the new Omoda 9, which will be the brand’s flagship SUV and should be in showrooms in May. It’ll be available in just one specification and exclusively with plug-in hybrid power – or ‘Super Hybrid System’ (SHS), as Omoda and Jaecoo call it – providing all-wheel drive and around 414bp.

The Omoda 9 has been designed to look as sporty as possible, evidenced by the coupe-inspired sloping roofline. Other details include the ‘borderless’ front grille pattern, which is supposed to look like it's being stretched to emphasise the car’s width, distinctive vertical lights, pop-out door handles and an edge-to-edge rear light bar. 

Inside, there’s a strong focus on quality and technology, with two large displays housed in a single unit behind the two-spoke steering wheel. There’s also a head-up display, adaptive dampers, speakers in the headrests, hands-free parking, heated and ventilated front seats, plus reclining heated and ventilated rear seats. 

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The Jaecoo 5 will follow in August. As its name suggests, it’ll be more compact than the J7, but it features a very square-jawed design with an upright front end and large grille. The J5 will be available with a choice of petrol or pure-electric power, meaning potential rivals range from the Lexus LBX to the Kia EV3.

Rounding off the year will be the Omoda 7, due in October. Again, its name denotes the mid-size SUV will bridge the gap between the Omoda’s 5 and 9, while also serving as a rival to the Toyota RAV4 and Kia Sportage, among many others. It will feature a plug-in hybrid system – likely to be the same as the one in the Jaecoo 7 SHS.

The UK boss of Omoda and Jaecoo, Victor Zhang, previously revealed to Auto Express that there are also plans for a smaller Omoda 3 to take on the Ford Puma, available with petrol and EV power. He told us there’s also potential for the Jaecoo 6 – a Land Rover Defender/Ford Bronco-inspired 4x4 – to come here as well.

In addition to expanding their model line-up, Omoda and Jaecoo hope to nearly double their dealer network, from roughly 70 locations at the moment to 130 by the end of this year. According to Lowe, that would put the Chinese newcomers on par with Honda.

“Having that really strong dealer presence is fantastic for awareness,” said Lowe. “A lot of people are finding us just because they're driving past a dealer or maybe their local dealer has changed – we've had quite a few dealers come from Ford.

“So for instance, you may have bought a Fiesta from your Ford dealer. Now your Ford dealer has vanished and you need a new car, but they're open again with a new brand. So we're getting a lot of people that may be coming in that way.”

Of course, Jaecoo and Omoda are not the first Chinese brands to try to crack the UK car market. But Lowe believes “new entrants have come in and they've not done brand very well. They don't position their brand, they don't tell you a story about their brand, they don't bring you along on any journey. It’s just here’s ‘an car’, we'll put it there, come and buy it, because it's great value for money and it’s got good technology.”

He added, “So I really like that we've got those defined positions for each brand, with Omoda being fashion and technology, and Jaecoo has that more premium positioning.”

Zhang also understands the importance of aftersales support for customers, especially with newly established brands, which is why Omoda and Jaecoo are using well-established franchise dealerships with their own service centres. They also have a relationship with DHL and a huge parts warehouse in the midlands, which means parts can be delivered to dealerships when needed within 24 hours.

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