Omoda and Jaecoo have appointed Darren Tu as Managing Director for its Belux operations, after his successful tenure at the Spanish division, where the brands succeeded in outpacing legacy brands in the sales charts. The move appears to signal growth potential, as witnessed by holding company Chery. But how much momentum do these brands have in Belgium?
Darren Tu succeeds Taylor Zhang and assumes responsibility for overseeing market development and brand positioning in the Belux region, following a high-impact tenure spearheading the Chinese automaker’s expansion into Spain.
Fast-growing European market
Tu joined the Chery Group—China’s largest vehicle exporter—in 2023 with a mandate to launch and grow the Omoda and Jaecoo brands on the Iberian Peninsula. Within eight months, he had established a robust dealer network of 70 outlets and driven sales to surpass 10,000 units by April 2025. Monthly volumes consistently exceeded 1,500 vehicles, making Spain the fastest-growing European market for the group.
In Spain, Omoda has the second-best-selling model of Chinese origin. The gasoline version of the SUV 5 sells between 4,000 and 5,000 units annually. This is mostly due to the affordable starting price of €22,990 and the mother company Chery’s local investment, as it has acquired the former Barcelona plant from Nissan. The brand outsells Alfa-Romeo, Land Rover, and Honda in Spain.
“Substantial promise”
Now charged with replicating that success in Belgium and Luxembourg, Tu aims at unfolding a plan focused on rapid network expansion, enhanced customer service, and localized brand development. He officially took on the Belux leadership role in May, with a clear mandate to establish Omoda and Jaecoo as serious players in the competitive European arena. Because the brands aren’t exclusively electric, they surpass the import duties, so they can maintain their budget-conscious pricing as a sales benefit.
“The Belux market holds substantial promise for Omoda and Jaeoo,” Tu said. “With a strong team and the right strategy, I’m confident we can quickly capture meaningful market share. Our focus remains on innovation, design, and sustainability.”
Shawn Xu, CEO of Omoda & Jaecoo International, emphasized the strategic importance of Tu’s new role: “As we scale up across Europe, Darren’s leadership is instrumental in maintaining momentum. His execution-focused management style was pivotal in Spain, and now serves as a blueprint for Belux.”
Climbing the ranks
As part of its expansion plans, Darren Tu will oversee Chery’s plans to install a local office in Belgium. Currently, it approaches dealers directly and has grown its network from 3 to 19 dealers in one year.
During the first four months of this year, Omoda succeeded in selling 90 vehicles in Belgium, while the more premium-oriented Jaecoo brand shifted 59 units. Although the brands are listed in 39th and 41st place in the overall ranking, they are making strides, as they were hardly present in last year’s statistics (only two units for Omoda). Currently, they outperform brands like Lancia (48th place), Subaru (44th), and Smart (40th).
