New Omoda 7 plug-in hybrid SUV arriving in 2025 to take on Toyota RAV4

The new Omoda 7, revealed at the 2024 Beijing Motor Show, is headed to the UK in 2025 as part of a four-model offensive from the Chinese car maker. The 4.6-metre long mid-size SUV features a plug-in hybrid powertrain and will rival the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage.

As its name suggests, the Omoda 7 will sit in between the Omoda 5 – which we recently got to drive in prototype form – and the brand's flagship SUV, the Omoda 9. These two are arriving first and are due to go on sale this year.

Like its stablemates, the Omoda 7 sports a distinctive, highly complex grille pattern, which is flanked by a relatively small but sharp set of headlights. Moving to the side, we can see flush door handles and that the roofline gently slopes towards the rear, giving the car a more athletic profile.

We’ve yet to see inside the Omoda 7, but it apparently features a 15.6-inch central touchscreen that can slide across the dashboard so the front passenger can get a better view. Meanwhile, the immersive ‘12+2-speaker’ sound system with ‘million-level tuning’ offers a concert hall-like experience, and there’s active noise cancellation onboard, too.

Technical details about the plug-in hybrid powertrain are thin on the ground at the moment, and so far all we’ve been told is that with its “extreme energy-saving mode”, the Omoda 7 PHEV can supposedly cover more than 740 miles on a single tank of petrol and full battery. 

It most likely uses the hybrid-dedicated 1.5 TGDI petrol engine used in other PHEVs from parent company Chery – China’s biggest car exporter – paired with either one or two electric motors, depending on whether buyers want two or four-wheel drive.

However, the brand’s UK country manager, Victor Zhang, revealed to Auto Express earlier this year that a regular petrol version of the Omoda 7 will also be sold here.

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