Chery to launch Omoda 5 and Jaecoo 7 in Belgium end of Q4

Chery Automobile, China’s fifth-biggest automaker with over 1.88 million vehicles sold worldwide last year, says it will take on Belgium from the end of Q4 2024 with two models: the Omoda 5 EV and the Jaecoo 7 PHEV. Officially, three dealers, one in Genk, one in Liège, and one in Luxemburg, were already presented, but that should be 20 by the end of the year.

The Omoda 5 EV currently sells in Spain for €37,900, a price Chery is confident will not be taxed by a 20.8% European tariff on Chinese EVs in the long run. It bought the former Nissan factory in Spain to produce the car locally with a Spanish partner for the EU market. So far, around 1,400 of them have been built in Barcelona in one work shift, but that could be 150,000 by 2029.

Finding dealerships

Eventually, Chery planned the launch in Belgium after Poland and Italy in the summer of 2024. However, that was delayed by several months as negotiations with Belgian car dealerships took more time than initially presumed.

According to Taylor Zhang, Country Director Belgium & Luxemburg, Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, and Mons are next, with up to 20 dealerships covering the whole of Belux by the end of this year. Official prices have not been communicated yet.

Seven years warranty

What was presented, though, is the warranty of seven years, or 150,000 km, for the whole vehicle and eight years, or 160,000 km, for the battery. Roadside assistance is free for the first year but can be extended up to seven years by renewing it yearly with a scheduled service at an authorized Omoda & Jaecoo dealer.

That might sound somewhat weird for an EV, as most don’t need extensive service at a dealership every year. Chinese competitor NIO, for instance, claims that for its ET5 sedan, no service is required for the first 200,000 km unless for parts that wear out, like tires or windscreen wipers.

However, Chery also sells ICE cars elsewhere in Europe, like the Omoda 5 crossover with a 1.6 T-GDI gasoline engine that retails for around 27,000 euros in countries like Spain. In Belgium, the Omoda brand would instead focus on BEVs, while in Luxembourg, they “got the message that ICE models are still popular, first to introduce the ICE version of Omoda 5.”

Range up to 450 km

The Omoda E5 EV will be available in two variants, one with a ‘normal range’ of 300 km and the other with an ‘extended range’ of 450 km (WLTP). The difference lies in the battery size: 40 kWh for the first and 60 kWh for the latter.

Both models have a 110 kW electromotor that provides 340 Nm of torque. The cars have standard equipment, including 18-inch wheels, LED lighting, eco-leather seats, and two 12.25-inch high-resolution screens.

Jaecoo 7 PHEV only

The other model meant to be introduced in Belgium first is the compact Jaecoo 7 SUV, which has a more robust look and a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) drivetrain. The PHEV combines a fifth-generation 1.5 TDGI, a gasoline-powered ICE, with an electric motor and a 1DHT150 gearbox to deliver a combined 255 kW (341 hp) of power and 530 Nm of torque.

Peter Matkin, Chief Engineer at Chery Technical Center Shanghai, says the engine is one of the world’s best combustion engines, with an efficiency of 44.5%. Small gasoline engines usually score between 30 and 35% efficiency at most. The rest of the energy is wasted in warmth, mostly spit out by the exhaust.

Why buy a PHEV?

To compare, an electric motor in an EV is up to 94% efficient. So, from an energy, cost efficiency, and ecological point of view, the PHEV is one of the worst technical solutions. “So why would you buy a PHEV like that instead of an EV in the first place?” we asked Peter Matkin.

The answer is predictable and ‘standard’ among carmakers: “for the extended range.” Range anxiety still rules, and according to Matkin, Chery can’t force clients to choose an electric car. It’s not the carmaker’s role to ‘educate’ people but rather to provide them with what they ask for. The Jaecoo 7 has a pure electric range of 88 km and consumes 4.9 liters per 100 km.