Chery launching yet another brand, this one at the expense of Chinese Land Rovers
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will end production of Land Rover vehicles in China to make room for a new auto brand called Freelander, springing from its joint venture with Chery.
And while Freelander will start off as a China-exclusive brand, it's set to eventually go global. That'll see it vie for buyers' attention alongside Chery brands such as Jaecoo, Omoda, iCar/iCaur, Exeed, Exlantix, Jetour and Lepas.
After JLR announced the Freelander brand last June, more details have come to light courtesy of a recent earnings call as well as reports from Autocar and Automotive News Europe.
JLR will end production of its Jaguar XEL and XFL sedans and the E-Pace SUV at the Chery Jaguar Land Rover plant in Changshu, China in September, before production of the Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport ends there towards the end of 2026.
The British automaker, whose parent company is India's tata Motors, had previously announced it would build Freelander EVs alongside existing Chery Jaguar Land Rover vehicles in Changshu.
Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now.
Freelander's debut model will reportedly enter production in China in late 2026 with plug-in hybrid (PHEV) power, followed by battery-electric (EV) and extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) variants.
The PHEV could feature the Super Hybrid System used in vehicles like the Omoda 9. In the UK-spec model, this combines a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with two electric motors, a 34.5kWh battery, and a three-speed transmission for total system outputs of 330kW and 700Nm.
The Omoda 9 is claimed to do the 0-100km/h sprint in 4.9 seconds, while claimed electric-only range is 150km on the WLTP cycle.
Freelander SUVs may also offer decent off-road ability, judging by Chery's efforts under the Jetour and iCar brands, but be will likely be positioned as more premium vehicles than, for example, Chery-branded products.
The first Freelander SUV will be based on Chery's T1X platform, which underpins a raft of vehicles from the Chinese automaker ranging from the small Omoda 3 up to the large Chery Tiggo 9L (above).
But while underneath it'll be pure Chery, the Freelander SUV's exterior styling – which Autocar reports will blend a combination of chunky off-road and sporty coupe SUV design cues – will be penned by JLR chief creative officer Gerry McGovern, who helped design the original Land Rover Freelander.
With a more rakish silhouette than the old Land Rover Freelander, the debut model under the new brand may stand out better against existing Chery models like the blocky Jaecoo J7 (pictured above) and JLR models like the upcoming 'baby' Defender Sport.
Other Freelander models will follow, and JLR has previously said they'll be set apart from not only other Chery brands but also JLR's global 'House of Brands' portfolio, which currently comprises the Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar brands.
Autocar reports Freelander will launch in the UK before the end of the decade, which almost certainly means right-hand drive production – and therefore means an Australian launch is possible.
The Chery Jaguar Land Rover joint venture was established in 2012, but sales of its vehicles have slumped in recent years as competition – particularly from domestic brands – has gotten tougher in that market.
As with automakers like Audi, Mazda, Nissan and Volkswagen, JLR is using a Chinese partner to develop a vehicle that it will sell under one of its own established names.
Freelander vehicles will also be sold via Chery-run dealerships in China.
The original Land Rover Freelander was offered for two generations between 1997 and 2015, with more than 300,000 units sold globally over the course of its life.
The Freelander was only offered in a three-door body style in its first generation, which was replaced in 2006, and then eventually succeeded by the Range Rover Evoque in 2011.
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News.com.au
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What is Omoda Jaecoo, and how is this new brand different to Chery?
You may have noticed Omoda Jaecoo showrooms are starting to pop up around the country, but just what is this unfamiliar auto brand? Effectively, it's a sister brand to Chinese brand Chery, and while Omoda Jaecoo vehicles will be sold in separate showrooms, some dealerships will offer both Chery and Omoda Jaecoo franchises. There's some overlap between the two brands, but Omoda Jaecoo chief commercial officer Roy Muñoz explained the difference. "I'd call it next step up from Chery," he explained to CarExpert. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Within this new brand, there are vehicles badged just as Jaecoos, with Omoda-badged vehicles to follow. Mr Muñoz says these will complement each other. "Omoda is more the crossover SUV, whereas the Jaecoos are more the rugged, luxurious SUVs," he explained. "So crossover meaning sometimes with the coupe styling, swooping rear roofline." Thus far, Omoda Jaecoo offers only the Jaecoo J7 mid-size SUV, a rival for the Toyota RAV4, and the Jaecoo J8 large SUV, a five-seat alternative to the likes of the Kia Sorento. The J7 lineup opens at $34,990 drive-away, or $5000 more than the current base price of the similarly sized Chery Tiggo 7 Pro. The Omoda C9, a mid-size SUV, is due on sale here in August, while the Omoda 7 (pictured below) is set to follow at some point. Officially debuted globally in 2023, Omoda Jaecoo exists only outside of the Chinese market, and is part of a rather confusing export strategy by China's largest car exporter, with 1.14 million overseas sales in 2024. For example, Chery already sells its Jetour and Exeed vehicles in markets like the Middle East, and is planning to launch Tiggo – a nameplate used on Chery SUVs – as a standalone brand in Europe, along with new brand Lepas revealed at this year's Shanghai motor show. 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And how does it stand out when the automaker's namesake brand sells vehicles here in the same segments? "Jaecoo is still focused on that premium adventure-type offering, so creature comforts you wouldn't normally see at this price point, luxury touch and feel. You've got your leather seats, suede roof liner, massaging seats, calf raises," he said. "Each brand has its own unique styling and speaks to a different part of the market." Omoda Jaecoo vehicles also feature a longer eight-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, up from seven years for Chery vehicles. But in a market where even brands such as Jeep have called themselves premium, Omoda Jaecoo is reluctant to use the term. "I wouldn't say it's the premium arm, but certainly it's the next level up from Chery. In my own terms, it's almost in that sub-premium category but you get the premium feel, features that you don't get at the price point," said Mr Muñoz. "That premium word, it's been thrown around, a bit of a buzz word, but it's definitely the next level up in terms of the product offering from the Chery Group." The upcoming Chery Tiggo 9 (above), for example, wears slightly different styling to the closely related Jaecoo J8, and will miss out on some features like the latter's fragrance dispenser. Chery believes there's enough differentiation to prevent cannibalisation between the two brands. "There's not much crossover at the moment. People who are after Omoda Jaecoo are just after Omoda Jaecoo," said Mr Muñoz. "I don't believe we're diluting. In fact, we're adding more options out there that people can choose from, from different price points, at different specification levels." "Different buyers as well. Chery is very focused on the family, urban buyer. Jaecoo is a bit more of that adventurous spirit," said Mr Krieger. "The design of the cars is different, the target audience is different, but I think there's room for both." Chery says it's "falling into line" with a global strategy, though there are some quirks. The Chery Omoda 5 and Omoda E5 were recently renamed the Chery C5 (pictured above) and E5 in Australia, even though these are sold under the Jaecoo Omoda arm in other markets. "The difference is that car was introduced into Australia under the Chery brand, whereas in other markets where it was sold it was always sold as an Omoda Jaecoo," said Mr Krieger. In an attempt to alleviate confusion, these vehicles are being kept in Chery showrooms but being stripped of their Omoda badging. MORE: All the new SUVs coming to Australia from Chery and Omoda Jaecoo in 2025 Content originally sourced from: You may have noticed Omoda Jaecoo showrooms are starting to pop up around the country, but just what is this unfamiliar auto brand? Effectively, it's a sister brand to Chinese brand Chery, and while Omoda Jaecoo vehicles will be sold in separate showrooms, some dealerships will offer both Chery and Omoda Jaecoo franchises. There's some overlap between the two brands, but Omoda Jaecoo chief commercial officer Roy Muñoz explained the difference. "I'd call it next step up from Chery," he explained to CarExpert. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Within this new brand, there are vehicles badged just as Jaecoos, with Omoda-badged vehicles to follow. Mr Muñoz says these will complement each other. "Omoda is more the crossover SUV, whereas the Jaecoos are more the rugged, luxurious SUVs," he explained. "So crossover meaning sometimes with the coupe styling, swooping rear roofline." Thus far, Omoda Jaecoo offers only the Jaecoo J7 mid-size SUV, a rival for the Toyota RAV4, and the Jaecoo J8 large SUV, a five-seat alternative to the likes of the Kia Sorento. The J7 lineup opens at $34,990 drive-away, or $5000 more than the current base price of the similarly sized Chery Tiggo 7 Pro. The Omoda C9, a mid-size SUV, is due on sale here in August, while the Omoda 7 (pictured below) is set to follow at some point. Officially debuted globally in 2023, Omoda Jaecoo exists only outside of the Chinese market, and is part of a rather confusing export strategy by China's largest car exporter, with 1.14 million overseas sales in 2024. For example, Chery already sells its Jetour and Exeed vehicles in markets like the Middle East, and is planning to launch Tiggo – a nameplate used on Chery SUVs – as a standalone brand in Europe, along with new brand Lepas revealed at this year's Shanghai motor show. Chery also sells its vehicles under the Chirey nameplate in Mexico, while its electric vehicle (EV) brand iCar will be sold in some markets as iCaur. And no, we don't know how to pronounce that either. For now, Chery Australia is sticking to just its namesake and Omoda Jaecoo brands, but it has left the door open for others to follow. Chery Australia says it isn't expecting any other brands "in the short term", but its local communications boss said more could follow. "The clear message for us is 'You guys have got a big job on your hands certainly with Chery, certainly with Omoda Jaecoo, you guys do a good job with that, let's see what else potentially could come'." said Chery Australia communications head Tim Krieger. "But everyone's 100 per cent focused on those two brands at the moment, making the best of those opportunities." Chery only returned to Australia in 2023, before it announced the Jaecoo half of Omoda Jaecoo in 2024, and then announced the Omoda half this year. That's a very ambitious rollout, and we asked Mr Muñoz how much of this is being driven by head office. "Omoda Jaecoo is a global brand strategy. Certainly they listen to our feedback; we feed back as much as we can about how we think we should launch a brand or how we think a product should be introduced, but there is a bit of a global strategy that we need to execute," he said. Omoda Jaecoo vehicles are sold under different brands in China, where the Jaecoo J7 is a Chery Tansuo 06 (pictured above), the Jaecoo J8 a Chery Tiggo 9 (pictured below, and not to be confused with the slightly different global Chery Tiggo 9 due here this year), and the Omoda C9 is an Exeed Yaoguang. "What happens in the domestic market is different to what happens in the overseas markets," explained Mr Muñoz. So how does Omoda Jaecoo differ from Chery, then, given half its vehicles are sold as Cherys in China? And how does it stand out when the automaker's namesake brand sells vehicles here in the same segments? "Jaecoo is still focused on that premium adventure-type offering, so creature comforts you wouldn't normally see at this price point, luxury touch and feel. You've got your leather seats, suede roof liner, massaging seats, calf raises," he said. "Each brand has its own unique styling and speaks to a different part of the market." Omoda Jaecoo vehicles also feature a longer eight-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, up from seven years for Chery vehicles. But in a market where even brands such as Jeep have called themselves premium, Omoda Jaecoo is reluctant to use the term. "I wouldn't say it's the premium arm, but certainly it's the next level up from Chery. In my own terms, it's almost in that sub-premium category but you get the premium feel, features that you don't get at the price point," said Mr Muñoz. "That premium word, it's been thrown around, a bit of a buzz word, but it's definitely the next level up in terms of the product offering from the Chery Group." The upcoming Chery Tiggo 9 (above), for example, wears slightly different styling to the closely related Jaecoo J8, and will miss out on some features like the latter's fragrance dispenser. Chery believes there's enough differentiation to prevent cannibalisation between the two brands. "There's not much crossover at the moment. People who are after Omoda Jaecoo are just after Omoda Jaecoo," said Mr Muñoz. "I don't believe we're diluting. In fact, we're adding more options out there that people can choose from, from different price points, at different specification levels." "Different buyers as well. Chery is very focused on the family, urban buyer. Jaecoo is a bit more of that adventurous spirit," said Mr Krieger. "The design of the cars is different, the target audience is different, but I think there's room for both." Chery says it's "falling into line" with a global strategy, though there are some quirks. The Chery Omoda 5 and Omoda E5 were recently renamed the Chery C5 (pictured above) and E5 in Australia, even though these are sold under the Jaecoo Omoda arm in other markets. "The difference is that car was introduced into Australia under the Chery brand, whereas in other markets where it was sold it was always sold as an Omoda Jaecoo," said Mr Krieger. In an attempt to alleviate confusion, these vehicles are being kept in Chery showrooms but being stripped of their Omoda badging. MORE: All the new SUVs coming to Australia from Chery and Omoda Jaecoo in 2025 Content originally sourced from: You may have noticed Omoda Jaecoo showrooms are starting to pop up around the country, but just what is this unfamiliar auto brand? Effectively, it's a sister brand to Chinese brand Chery, and while Omoda Jaecoo vehicles will be sold in separate showrooms, some dealerships will offer both Chery and Omoda Jaecoo franchises. There's some overlap between the two brands, but Omoda Jaecoo chief commercial officer Roy Muñoz explained the difference. "I'd call it next step up from Chery," he explained to CarExpert. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Within this new brand, there are vehicles badged just as Jaecoos, with Omoda-badged vehicles to follow. Mr Muñoz says these will complement each other. "Omoda is more the crossover SUV, whereas the Jaecoos are more the rugged, luxurious SUVs," he explained. "So crossover meaning sometimes with the coupe styling, swooping rear roofline." Thus far, Omoda Jaecoo offers only the Jaecoo J7 mid-size SUV, a rival for the Toyota RAV4, and the Jaecoo J8 large SUV, a five-seat alternative to the likes of the Kia Sorento. The J7 lineup opens at $34,990 drive-away, or $5000 more than the current base price of the similarly sized Chery Tiggo 7 Pro. The Omoda C9, a mid-size SUV, is due on sale here in August, while the Omoda 7 (pictured below) is set to follow at some point. Officially debuted globally in 2023, Omoda Jaecoo exists only outside of the Chinese market, and is part of a rather confusing export strategy by China's largest car exporter, with 1.14 million overseas sales in 2024. For example, Chery already sells its Jetour and Exeed vehicles in markets like the Middle East, and is planning to launch Tiggo – a nameplate used on Chery SUVs – as a standalone brand in Europe, along with new brand Lepas revealed at this year's Shanghai motor show. Chery also sells its vehicles under the Chirey nameplate in Mexico, while its electric vehicle (EV) brand iCar will be sold in some markets as iCaur. And no, we don't know how to pronounce that either. For now, Chery Australia is sticking to just its namesake and Omoda Jaecoo brands, but it has left the door open for others to follow. Chery Australia says it isn't expecting any other brands "in the short term", but its local communications boss said more could follow. "The clear message for us is 'You guys have got a big job on your hands certainly with Chery, certainly with Omoda Jaecoo, you guys do a good job with that, let's see what else potentially could come'." said Chery Australia communications head Tim Krieger. "But everyone's 100 per cent focused on those two brands at the moment, making the best of those opportunities." Chery only returned to Australia in 2023, before it announced the Jaecoo half of Omoda Jaecoo in 2024, and then announced the Omoda half this year. That's a very ambitious rollout, and we asked Mr Muñoz how much of this is being driven by head office. "Omoda Jaecoo is a global brand strategy. Certainly they listen to our feedback; we feed back as much as we can about how we think we should launch a brand or how we think a product should be introduced, but there is a bit of a global strategy that we need to execute," he said. Omoda Jaecoo vehicles are sold under different brands in China, where the Jaecoo J7 is a Chery Tansuo 06 (pictured above), the Jaecoo J8 a Chery Tiggo 9 (pictured below, and not to be confused with the slightly different global Chery Tiggo 9 due here this year), and the Omoda C9 is an Exeed Yaoguang. "What happens in the domestic market is different to what happens in the overseas markets," explained Mr Muñoz. So how does Omoda Jaecoo differ from Chery, then, given half its vehicles are sold as Cherys in China? And how does it stand out when the automaker's namesake brand sells vehicles here in the same segments? "Jaecoo is still focused on that premium adventure-type offering, so creature comforts you wouldn't normally see at this price point, luxury touch and feel. You've got your leather seats, suede roof liner, massaging seats, calf raises," he said. "Each brand has its own unique styling and speaks to a different part of the market." Omoda Jaecoo vehicles also feature a longer eight-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, up from seven years for Chery vehicles. But in a market where even brands such as Jeep have called themselves premium, Omoda Jaecoo is reluctant to use the term. "I wouldn't say it's the premium arm, but certainly it's the next level up from Chery. In my own terms, it's almost in that sub-premium category but you get the premium feel, features that you don't get at the price point," said Mr Muñoz. "That premium word, it's been thrown around, a bit of a buzz word, but it's definitely the next level up in terms of the product offering from the Chery Group." The upcoming Chery Tiggo 9 (above), for example, wears slightly different styling to the closely related Jaecoo J8, and will miss out on some features like the latter's fragrance dispenser. Chery believes there's enough differentiation to prevent cannibalisation between the two brands. "There's not much crossover at the moment. People who are after Omoda Jaecoo are just after Omoda Jaecoo," said Mr Muñoz. "I don't believe we're diluting. In fact, we're adding more options out there that people can choose from, from different price points, at different specification levels." "Different buyers as well. Chery is very focused on the family, urban buyer. Jaecoo is a bit more of that adventurous spirit," said Mr Krieger. "The design of the cars is different, the target audience is different, but I think there's room for both." Chery says it's "falling into line" with a global strategy, though there are some quirks. The Chery Omoda 5 and Omoda E5 were recently renamed the Chery C5 (pictured above) and E5 in Australia, even though these are sold under the Jaecoo Omoda arm in other markets. "The difference is that car was introduced into Australia under the Chery brand, whereas in other markets where it was sold it was always sold as an Omoda Jaecoo," said Mr Krieger. In an attempt to alleviate confusion, these vehicles are being kept in Chery showrooms but being stripped of their Omoda badging. MORE: All the new SUVs coming to Australia from Chery and Omoda Jaecoo in 2025 Content originally sourced from: You may have noticed Omoda Jaecoo showrooms are starting to pop up around the country, but just what is this unfamiliar auto brand? Effectively, it's a sister brand to Chinese brand Chery, and while Omoda Jaecoo vehicles will be sold in separate showrooms, some dealerships will offer both Chery and Omoda Jaecoo franchises. There's some overlap between the two brands, but Omoda Jaecoo chief commercial officer Roy Muñoz explained the difference. "I'd call it next step up from Chery," he explained to CarExpert. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Within this new brand, there are vehicles badged just as Jaecoos, with Omoda-badged vehicles to follow. Mr Muñoz says these will complement each other. "Omoda is more the crossover SUV, whereas the Jaecoos are more the rugged, luxurious SUVs," he explained. "So crossover meaning sometimes with the coupe styling, swooping rear roofline." Thus far, Omoda Jaecoo offers only the Jaecoo J7 mid-size SUV, a rival for the Toyota RAV4, and the Jaecoo J8 large SUV, a five-seat alternative to the likes of the Kia Sorento. The J7 lineup opens at $34,990 drive-away, or $5000 more than the current base price of the similarly sized Chery Tiggo 7 Pro. The Omoda C9, a mid-size SUV, is due on sale here in August, while the Omoda 7 (pictured below) is set to follow at some point. Officially debuted globally in 2023, Omoda Jaecoo exists only outside of the Chinese market, and is part of a rather confusing export strategy by China's largest car exporter, with 1.14 million overseas sales in 2024. For example, Chery already sells its Jetour and Exeed vehicles in markets like the Middle East, and is planning to launch Tiggo – a nameplate used on Chery SUVs – as a standalone brand in Europe, along with new brand Lepas revealed at this year's Shanghai motor show. Chery also sells its vehicles under the Chirey nameplate in Mexico, while its electric vehicle (EV) brand iCar will be sold in some markets as iCaur. And no, we don't know how to pronounce that either. For now, Chery Australia is sticking to just its namesake and Omoda Jaecoo brands, but it has left the door open for others to follow. Chery Australia says it isn't expecting any other brands "in the short term", but its local communications boss said more could follow. "The clear message for us is 'You guys have got a big job on your hands certainly with Chery, certainly with Omoda Jaecoo, you guys do a good job with that, let's see what else potentially could come'." said Chery Australia communications head Tim Krieger. "But everyone's 100 per cent focused on those two brands at the moment, making the best of those opportunities." Chery only returned to Australia in 2023, before it announced the Jaecoo half of Omoda Jaecoo in 2024, and then announced the Omoda half this year. That's a very ambitious rollout, and we asked Mr Muñoz how much of this is being driven by head office. "Omoda Jaecoo is a global brand strategy. Certainly they listen to our feedback; we feed back as much as we can about how we think we should launch a brand or how we think a product should be introduced, but there is a bit of a global strategy that we need to execute," he said. Omoda Jaecoo vehicles are sold under different brands in China, where the Jaecoo J7 is a Chery Tansuo 06 (pictured above), the Jaecoo J8 a Chery Tiggo 9 (pictured below, and not to be confused with the slightly different global Chery Tiggo 9 due here this year), and the Omoda C9 is an Exeed Yaoguang. "What happens in the domestic market is different to what happens in the overseas markets," explained Mr Muñoz. So how does Omoda Jaecoo differ from Chery, then, given half its vehicles are sold as Cherys in China? And how does it stand out when the automaker's namesake brand sells vehicles here in the same segments? "Jaecoo is still focused on that premium adventure-type offering, so creature comforts you wouldn't normally see at this price point, luxury touch and feel. You've got your leather seats, suede roof liner, massaging seats, calf raises," he said. "Each brand has its own unique styling and speaks to a different part of the market." Omoda Jaecoo vehicles also feature a longer eight-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, up from seven years for Chery vehicles. But in a market where even brands such as Jeep have called themselves premium, Omoda Jaecoo is reluctant to use the term. "I wouldn't say it's the premium arm, but certainly it's the next level up from Chery. In my own terms, it's almost in that sub-premium category but you get the premium feel, features that you don't get at the price point," said Mr Muñoz. "That premium word, it's been thrown around, a bit of a buzz word, but it's definitely the next level up in terms of the product offering from the Chery Group." The upcoming Chery Tiggo 9 (above), for example, wears slightly different styling to the closely related Jaecoo J8, and will miss out on some features like the latter's fragrance dispenser. Chery believes there's enough differentiation to prevent cannibalisation between the two brands. "There's not much crossover at the moment. People who are after Omoda Jaecoo are just after Omoda Jaecoo," said Mr Muñoz. "I don't believe we're diluting. In fact, we're adding more options out there that people can choose from, from different price points, at different specification levels." "Different buyers as well. Chery is very focused on the family, urban buyer. Jaecoo is a bit more of that adventurous spirit," said Mr Krieger. "The design of the cars is different, the target audience is different, but I think there's room for both." Chery says it's "falling into line" with a global strategy, though there are some quirks. The Chery Omoda 5 and Omoda E5 were recently renamed the Chery C5 (pictured above) and E5 in Australia, even though these are sold under the Jaecoo Omoda arm in other markets. "The difference is that car was introduced into Australia under the Chery brand, whereas in other markets where it was sold it was always sold as an Omoda Jaecoo," said Mr Krieger. In an attempt to alleviate confusion, these vehicles are being kept in Chery showrooms but being stripped of their Omoda badging. MORE: All the new SUVs coming to Australia from Chery and Omoda Jaecoo in 2025 Content originally sourced from:
7NEWS
16 hours ago
- 7NEWS
What is Omoda Jaecoo, and how is this new brand different to Chery?
You may have noticed Omoda Jaecoo showrooms are starting to pop up around the country, but just what is this unfamiliar auto brand? Effectively, it's a sister brand to Chinese brand Chery, and while Omoda Jaecoo vehicles will be sold in separate showrooms, some dealerships will offer both Chery and Omoda Jaecoo franchises. There's some overlap between the two brands, but Omoda Jaecoo chief commercial officer Roy Muñoz explained the difference. 'I'd call it next step up from Chery,' he explained to CarExpert. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Within this new brand, there are vehicles badged just as Jaecoos, with Omoda-badged vehicles to follow. Mr Muñoz says these will complement each other. 'Omoda is more the crossover SUV, whereas the Jaecoos are more the rugged, luxurious SUVs,' he explained. 'So crossover meaning sometimes with the coupe styling, swooping rear roofline.' Thus far, Omoda Jaecoo offers only the Jaecoo J7 mid-size SUV, a rival for the Toyota RAV4, and the Jaecoo J8 large SUV, a five-seat alternative to the likes of the Kia Sorento. The J7 lineup opens at $34,990 drive-away, or $5000 more than the current base price of the similarly sized Chery Tiggo 7 Pro. The Omoda C9, a mid-size SUV, is due on sale here in August, while the Omoda 7 (pictured below) is set to follow at some point. Officially debuted globally in 2023, Omoda Jaecoo exists only outside of the Chinese market, and is part of a rather confusing export strategy by China's largest car exporter, with 1.14 million overseas sales in 2024. For example, Chery already sells its Jetour and Exeed vehicles in markets like the Middle East, and is planning to launch Tiggo – a nameplate used on Chery SUVs – as a standalone brand in Europe, along with new brand Lepas revealed at this year's Shanghai motor show. Chery also sells its vehicles under the Chirey nameplate in Mexico, while its electric vehicle (EV) brand iCar will be sold in some markets as iCaur. And no, we don't know how to pronounce that either. For now, Chery Australia is sticking to just its namesake and Omoda Jaecoo brands, but it has left the door open for others to follow. Chery Australia says it isn't expecting any other brands 'in the short term', but its local communications boss said more could follow. 'The clear message for us is 'You guys have got a big job on your hands certainly with Chery, certainly with Omoda Jaecoo, you guys do a good job with that, let's see what else potentially could come'.' said Chery Australia communications head Tim Krieger. 'But everyone's 100 per cent focused on those two brands at the moment, making the best of those opportunities.' Chery only returned to Australia in 2023, before it announced the Jaecoo half of Omoda Jaecoo in 2024, and then announced the Omoda half this year. That's a very ambitious rollout, and we asked Mr Muñoz how much of this is being driven by head office. 'Omoda Jaecoo is a global brand strategy. Certainly they listen to our feedback; we feed back as much as we can about how we think we should launch a brand or how we think a product should be introduced, but there is a bit of a global strategy that we need to execute,' he said. Omoda Jaecoo vehicles are sold under different brands in China, where the Jaecoo J7 is a Chery Tansuo 06 (pictured above), the Jaecoo J8 a Chery Tiggo 9 (pictured below, and not to be confused with the slightly different global Chery Tiggo 9 due here this year), and the Omoda C9 is an Exeed Yaoguang. 'What happens in the domestic market is different to what happens in the overseas markets,' explained Mr Muñoz. So how does Omoda Jaecoo differ from Chery, then, given half its vehicles are sold as Cherys in China? And how does it stand out when the automaker's namesake brand sells vehicles here in the same segments? 'Jaecoo is still focused on that premium adventure-type offering, so creature comforts you wouldn't normally see at this price point, luxury touch and feel. You've got your leather seats, suede roof liner, massaging seats, calf raises,' he said. 'Each brand has its own unique styling and speaks to a different part of the market.' Omoda Jaecoo vehicles also feature a longer eight-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, up from seven years for Chery vehicles. But in a market where even brands such as Jeep have called themselves premium, Omoda Jaecoo is reluctant to use the term. 'I wouldn't say it's the premium arm, but certainly it's the next level up from Chery. In my own terms, it's almost in that sub-premium category but you get the premium feel, features that you don't get at the price point,' said Mr Muñoz. 'That premium word, it's been thrown around, a bit of a buzz word, but it's definitely the next level up in terms of the product offering from the Chery Group.' The upcoming Chery Tiggo 9 (above), for example, wears slightly different styling to the closely related Jaecoo J8, and will miss out on some features like the latter's fragrance dispenser. Chery believes there's enough differentiation to prevent cannibalisation between the two brands. 'There's not much crossover at the moment. People who are after Omoda Jaecoo are just after Omoda Jaecoo,' said Mr Muñoz. 'I don't believe we're diluting. In fact, we're adding more options out there that people can choose from, from different price points, at different specification levels.' 'Different buyers as well. Chery is very focused on the family, urban buyer. Jaecoo is a bit more of that adventurous spirit,' said Mr Krieger. 'The design of the cars is different, the target audience is different, but I think there's room for both.' Chery says it's 'falling into line' with a global strategy, though there are some quirks. The Chery Omoda 5 and Omoda E5 were recently renamed the Chery C5 (pictured above) and E5 in Australia, even though these are sold under the Jaecoo Omoda arm in other markets. 'The difference is that car was introduced into Australia under the Chery brand, whereas in other markets where it was sold it was always sold as an Omoda Jaecoo,' said Mr Krieger. In an attempt to alleviate confusion, these vehicles are being kept in Chery showrooms but being stripped of their Omoda badging.
