Jaecoo J5: Chinese Hyundai Kona rival locked in for Australian launch
Speaking to CarExpert, Shawn Xu – vice chairman of Chery International and CEO of Omoda Jaecoo – confirmed the Jaecoo J5, a small SUV similar in size to the Kia Seltos, Mazda CX-30 and Nissan Qashqai, for local showrooms.
It's also set to offer some less conventional capabilities, according to Mr Xu.
'The Karaoke feature that is in the new Jaecoo [J]5 … You can sing in the car while you drive. These are features that make driving fun and enjoyable,' Mr Xu said during the in-depth interview, which you can read on CarExpert this Sunday, August 17.
'Also it's pet-friendly, with special air-conditioning, and the seat surface is very friendly with pets, easy to clean.'
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The J5 will sit below the related Jaecoo J7 in terms of size and price and is already on sale in the UK in two trim levels: Pure and Luxury.
It measures 4380mm long, 1860mm wide and stands 1650mm tall on a 2620mm wheelbase.
Pricing in the UK sees the Pure start at £24,505 before on-road costs compared to £30,115 for the base J7 – which kicks off at $34,990 drive-away for the J7 Core in Australia.
The UK-market Jaecoo 5 comes with a 108kW/275Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, giving it a 0-100km/h time of 10.0 seconds.
Power is sent to the front wheels, although an all-wheel drive version is available in other markets. It's unclear if it'll be offered locally.
There's also an electric version, sold in the UK as the Jaecoo E5. This features a 152kW/288Nm front-mounted electric motor and a 61.1kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery providing 399km of WLTP range and 80kW DC charging.
In the UK, it has a base price of £3000 more than the equivalent petrol-powered model.
Inside both petrol and electric models, there's a 13.2-inch portrait-oriented infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a 540-degree camera system.
The Luxury trim adds power-adjustable front seats with heating and memory, as well as wireless smartphone charging, a panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control and an eight-speaker Sony sound system.
The second 60:40-split rear seatbacks can also be angled, expanding cargo space from 480L to 1180L in the petrol model when they're folded flat.
Jaecoo UK says the petrol-powered J5 has been given a suspension tune to suit local roads, while its 19-strong advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) have also been calibrated to British driving expectations.
Locally, Chery – owner of the Omoda Jaecoo brand – has worked on tuning local ADAS for Australian models after feedback from customers, the automaker responding with changes to better suit local conditions.
Omoda Jaecoo was launched in Australia earlier this year, with the brand sitting a step above Chery's namesake brand.
To the end of July, the Omoda Jaecoo brand – which recently launched its first Omoda-badged product, the Omoda 9 large hybrid SUV – has delivered 1124 vehicles so far this year in Australia.
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