Omoda 5 review

Chery-owned brand heads for the UK with a competitively priced Kona rival

The dearth of low-priced petrol cars on sale today can’t have escaped many of us, so it is with interest that we run the road test rule over the Omoda 5 – a decently powerful Chinese answer to the Volkswagen T-Roc and Nissan Qashqai that costs about £25k.If you’ve not yet heard of Omoda, there’s every chance you’ll know of its parent company. State-owned Chery was founded in 1997 and is China’s most prolific exporter of cars, even if BYD has now overtaken it domestically. The Omoda sub-brand is one half of a two-pronged attack on overseas markets. It will offer crossovers with “statement” designs while Jaecoo will look to undercut rivals in the more SUV-flavoured sphere, starting with its Range Rover Velar-aping 7. The marques will share dealerships, of which 100 are planned in the UK by 2026, with 60 already in place.More than that, while Omoda’s cars are currently made in Wuhu, in eastern China, discussions are taking place as to whether a UK plant would be advantageous. The company is already committed to taking over an old Nissan plant in Barcelona, and the 5 itself has been tuned by a team based in Frankfurt – one led by a former JLR engineer.On paper, the 5 therefore looks a credible threat to the incumbents. What we will now learn is whether that also happens to be the reality.

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