Like Lexus is to Toyota, Omoda has been launched in South Africa as the flagship brand of Chery.
The Chinese marque promises increased levels of luxury and finishes than regular Chery cars and the first product is the Omoda C5, a compact crossover which goes on sale this week in three 1.5l petrol turbo derivatives.
According to Chery, the letter “O” from Omoda is derived from the word “oxygen” while “Moda” means “modern”.
Omoda will be a separate business unit from Chery South Africa with more than 33 Omoda dealers to be established nationwide.
The vehicle boasts ultra-modern styling with a bold “diamond matrix” grille, a wedge-shaped roofline and thin, arrow-shaped head and tail lamps with smart LED illumination.
The modern and minimalist interior is heavily digitised, including dual 10.25-inch screens that act as the infotainment touchscreen and driver display.
At 4,400mm long, the Omoda C5 competes in a bustling market segment and has eye-catching pricing that undercuts the opposition, including compact crossovers such as the Citroën C5 Aircross, Kia Sportage, Peugeot 3008, Mazda CX-5, Proton X50, Volkswagen Tiguan and Chery Tiggo 7 Pro. The entry-level Omoda costs just R10,000 more than the basic Tiggo 7 Pro and might be poised to steal sales from its less premium cousin.