Intensely shocked plug-in hybrid Omoda C9 SHS arriving in June
Omoda's first ever plug-in hybrid in South Africa could became the latest Chinese product to breach R1-million. Image Omoda & Jaecoo
With sister brand Jaecoo having confirmed the arrival of its first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) in South Africa next month, Omoda has announced that its debutant PHEV, based on the C9, will be debuting at the same time as its first product tipped to possibly breach the R1-million mark.
Serious PHEV punch
Approved for South Africa in February, the C9 PHEV will join the Jaecoo J7 PHEV in adopting parent company Chery's SHS or Super Hybrid System moniker first announced at the Shanghai International Auto Show in March.
Differing little from the combustion engine C9 on first glance, bar the addition of a second flap hiding the charging port on the rear wing, the SHS will only be offered in flagship Explore guise, which in 'normal' petrol form, starts R885 900.
ALSO READ: Plug-in hybrid Jaecoo J7 becoming one with the grid in June
Up front resides the biggest difference in that the SHS swaps the 2.0 T-GDI engine for the same 1.5 T-GDI used in the J7 SHS, but with three instead of a single electric motor.
Motivated by a bigger 34.5-kWh battery pack, the C9 SHS has a combined output of 440kW/915Nm, which goes to all four wheels via a three-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT).
SHS will be modelled on the top-spec C9 Explore. Note: conventional petrol model depicted. Image: Omoda & Jaecoo
The claimed all-electric is 150 km and the combined distance with the petrol engine included, 1 100 km.
According to O&J South Africa, using a fast DC charger up to 40 kW will require a waiting time of 25 minutes from 30-80%.
Likely spec
In terms of specification, and given the combustion engine Explore's features, the SHS will come standard with 20-inch alloy wheels, the 12-speaker Sony sound system, a panoramic sunroof, heated, electric and ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, Nappa leather upholstery, dual 12.3-inch displays, ambient lighting and a pair of wireless smartphone chargers.
Interior of the C9 SHS, seemingly, differs little from the conventional combustion model on first glance. Image Omoda & Jaecoo
On the safety side, expect the following to feature:
Driver Attention Alert;
Adaptive Cruise Control;
Rear Cross Traffic Alert with Reverse Automatic Braking;
Blind Spot Monitoring;
Lane Departure Warning;
540-degree surround-view camera system;
Lane Keep Assist;
Lead Vehicle Alert
Stay tuned
With a reported week left before it and the J7 SHS' reveal, expect pricing of the C9 SHS to be announced then.
NOW READ: Serious shock: PHEV Omoda C9 and Jaecoo J7 outputs revealed
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