Vehicles are already arriving at Omoda Jaecoo dealers in Australia, but thus far they’ve all been Jaecoo-badged vehicles. Models wearing the Omoda nameplate, however, are coming soon.
The first will be the Omoda C9, due on sale here in August as a flagship five-seat crossover SUV for the marque.
Considered a single brand by parent company Chery, Omoda Jaecoo is referred to as “the next level up” with a mixture of more rakish (Omoda) and more traditionally styled (Jaecoo) models.
Thus far, the Jaecoo arm of this brand is topping out with the J8 large five-seat SUV launching this month, with the Jaecoo J5 small SUV coming later this year and both models bookending the J7 mid-size SUV already on sale.
The Omoda C9 is set to be followed later by the smaller Omoda 7. Timing for this model has yet to be announced.
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Pricing and specifications for the Omoda C9 will be announced closer to launch. However, after first being approved for sale in Australia over 12 months ago, fresh government approval documents for the C9 have been published.
This time, the turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine previously featured in documents has been joined by a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain.
The all-wheel drive SUV mates a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a three-speed hybrid transmission, with two of the electric motors located within the transmission unit. A third electric motor is situated at the back.
The petrol engine produces 105kW, the front electric motors produce 75kW and 90kW, and the rear electric motor produces 120kW.
While total system output and battery capacity aren’t listed, looking to other export markets the Omoda C9 is offered with 19.43kWh or 34.46kWh batteries, and offers an electric-only range of up to 150km on the WLTP cycle.
There’s also a different PHEV powertrain with dual electric motors in markets like the UK.
With the tri-electric motor setup, the Chinese brand claims total system outputs of 440kW of power and 915Nm of torque and a 0-100km/h time of 4.9 seconds.
As mentioned, 2.0-litre turbo-petrol variants – with either front- or all-wheel drive – also appear in the Australian approval documents.
These incorporate an eight-speed automatic transmission and a power output of 183kW (torque figures aren’t listed in these documents). Unusually, that differs from the South African-market model, which produces 192kW and 400Nm.
If we look again to other export markets, the Omoda C9 is offered with dual 12.3-inch screens, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a panoramic sunroof, and power-adjustable, heated and ventilated front seats.
There are also features unique to the flagship Jaecoo J8, such as speakers mounted in the driver’s head restraint and an in-car fragrance system.
The Omoda C9 measures 4775mm long, 1920mm wide and 1671mm tall on a 2800mm wheelbase, which will make it one of the largest mid-size SUVs on the market.
It’s 35mm longer, 30mm wider and 4mm taller than a Mazda CX-60, which also offers a PHEV powertrain, though it sits on a 70mm shorter wheelbase.
Boot space is a claimed 660 litres.
Omoda C9 is the export name for Exeed Yaoguang, also known in some markets as the Exeed RX. It first entered production in 2022.
While Chery Australia hasn’t announced local launch plans for the Exeed brand, it has confirmed the door is open for more brands to join Chery and Omoda Jaecoo, albeit not in the short term.
There’s one model that won’t be sold under the Omoda Jaecoo brand in Australia and, confusingly, that’s the first vehicle to wear the Omoda name in our market: the Chery Omoda 5.
Instead, it has been rechristened as the Chery C5, with its electric counterpart renamed to Chery E5.
