New 2024 Omoda 5 to be priced from £24,000

Prices for the new Omoda 5 will start from £24,000 when sales get under way in the UK in March next year.

The Omoda 5 is a mid-size SUV known in some markets as the C5, which is set to rival the likes of the Nissan Qashqai. Owned by Chinese giant Chery, Omoda is the latest brand from the country to try its luck in the UK market.

The car will make use of Chery’s own T1X platform and will initially be powered by a 1.6-litre TGDI petrol engine offering 187bhp and 275Nm with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. A fully electric version will also be available at launch, with a hybrid expected soon after.

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Omoda says that premium features and competitive pricing will be key to the appeal of the car, which will be offered in two trim levels.

Kicking off the range is Comfort, which is available from £24,000. It has a focus on connectivity, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, plus wireless charging for two mobile phones.

The more upmarket Noble version is £27,000 and adds 360-degree 3D camera tech alongside a generous suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including active cruise control, lane keeping assist and auto emergency braking.

Both versions feature Omoda’s trademark front grille with a bold diamond design and striking adaptive LED headlights, but there is scope for personalisation with coloured accents available for the wheels and door mirrors.

The styling of the 5 follows Omoda’s ‘Art In Motion’ design language, with a smart if generic SUV design. Sharp creases along the flanks lead into a very Qashqai-esque rear, but with full-width 3D-effect lighting. There’s also a ‘floating roof’ like the Qashqai.

Inside, Noble variants offer a heated leather steering wheel in a range of colours, a powered sunroof and 18-inch alloy wheels.

The interior features twin 10.25-inch high-res screens, keyless entry and start, and smart LED lighting. The one-piece sports seats are clad in eco-leather and feature heating and cooling. Omoda is promising a high-quality finish, too, with Chery topping customer satisfaction surveys in its native China.

Omoda is also highlighting the car’s efficiency and safety credentials.

Under WLTP rules, the Omoda 5 can deliver 31.4mpg and emits 170g/km of CO2, while it recorded a five-star Euro NCAP rating after undergoing the organisation’s benchmark safety assessments late last year.

It returned a strong set of results, scoring 87% for adult occupant protection, 87% for child occupant protection, 88% for safety assistance systems and 68% for vulnerable road user protection.

The Omoda 5 will spearhead a range of new SUVs from the brand. Although the Omoda badge won’t be familiar to UK buyers, the name Chery may well ring bells – it has had a joint venture in China with Jaguar Land Rover since 2012. And in spite of only being founded in 1997, Chery is already the biggest exporter of cars in China, with over 450,000 cars going to Russia, Asia and South America, amongst other countries. 

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Omoda, which takes the O from Oxygen and Moda from Modern, will eventually launch a full range of cars in the UK, with a line-up of models both larger and smaller than the 5. These are expected to take obvious nameplates such as C3, C7 and C9, focusing predominantly on electric powertrains.

Although the cars are expected to be manufactured in China, Chery already has a European research and development base in Frankfurt, Germany alongside similar centres in China, Brazil and the US.

The company also plans to create an O-universe for owners, creating an O-Club fan community dedicated to their own lifestyle. There will be O-Fashion programmes with a focus on aesthetic style, an O-Lab looking at technology and O-Life with an environmental and sustainability focus.

The brand is certainly aiming high, with a projected global sales target of 1.4 million by 2030.

Now read our list of the best mid-size SUVs…

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