Chinese giant Chery has launched its Omoda brand in the UK, taking pre-reservations for its first two cars and planning to rapidly expand its UK dealer network.
Omoda is initially selling two SUVs here: the petrol-engined Omoda 5 and its electric equivalent, the Omoda E5.
The brand said the first UK-specification 5 had left the production line at its factory in Wuhu, China.
The 5 is roughly the size of the Nissan Qashqai. It’s expected to rival the likes of the MG ZS and Hyundai Kona, being powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine with 187bhp.
The E5 has a 204bhp electric motor and a 61kWh battery, which offers around 257 miles of range on the WLTP test cycle.
A brief drive in the E5 earlier this year suggested a real-world range of around 228 miles. It can charge at rates of up to 80kW, meaning its battery can get from 30-80% in 28 minutes.
When it arrives in the UK, the E5 will likely rival electric SUVs such as the KGM (formerly Ssangyong) Korando e-Motion and MG ZS EV.
Prices for both Omodas will be revealed imminently, and the first 5 and E5 deliveries are expected in August this year.
For now, we can speculate the petrol 5 will start at around £25,000, while the EV will be slightly more expensive, at around £33,500.
Both SUVs have been awarded a five-star safety rating by Euro NCAP.
Omoda hopes to launch several other cars in the UK over the next few years. The 9 mid-sized SUV is planned for UK sale later in 2024, then the sleek 7 and 3 SUVs will join it in 2025 and 2026 respectively.
Omoda and its Chery sister brand Jaecoo will sell cars in the UK through a network of 70 joint-branded franchised dealerships, which is set to increase to 100 by the end of 2024.
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I'm old enough to remember in the 1970s all those strange Japanese cars coming to the UK, and how everyone said they would never catch on. Then in the eighties and nineties cars from Korea that will never match European, or by then those now very much established and highly regarded cars from Japan.
I own two cars, one of which I took delivery of at the beginning of May - an MG3 HYBRID, which is every bit as good as any European supermini but for thousands less. My other car replaced a Maserati, and before that some twenty years of various Jaguars. Its a Genesis Electrified G80, a car which seems to be intentionally ignored by the likes of Autocar and What Car, in favour of its German garbage rivals. Coming up to two years in July, and the Genesis is the best car I've owned!