Sportier Omoda 5 in the works, with several new models set to follow

New Chinese brand Omoda is planning a sporty GT version of its Omoda 5 SUV. The tuned suspension and interior upgrades to the petrol-powered car have already been devised at the firm’s European headquarters and are currently being validated back at headquarters. 

The GT will potentially be a UK-specific development, with Omoda aware that “the UK is a level above Europe in how they want a car to handle”, according to an insider, and the company feeling that a sportier version will help establish a foothold in the UK. 

European-spec cars are being adapted for tastes and conditions on the Continent at the firm’s Frankfurt engineering base, with work including a reduction in the driver-assistance sensitivity for narrower European roads.

Omoda and sister brand Jaecoo, which will launch its J7 SUV early next year, will rapidly expand its model line-up to as many as seven cars by the end of 2026, with a combination of petrol, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric available, depending on model.

The petrol Omoda 5 and electric E5 pair kicked off the brand’s UK arrival and are aimed at rivalling the Nissan Qashqai. But the smaller Omoda 3, and larger Omoda 7 and Omoda 9 are all in the pipeline over the next 24 months, alongside the Jaecoo J5 and J8. 

Both brands are owned by Chery, which has been China’s largest exporter for the past 20 years, and Omoda/Jaecoo already has a network of 60 UK dealers in place, rising to 100 by the end of this year. A European production base is on the way in Spain later this year using a former Nissan factory.

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