Chery signs up fifth Omoda & Jaecoo dealer in Lier

Chinese Chery Automotive has signed up a fifth Belgian dealer for its Omoda and Jaecoo brands. The company will officially introduce them in Belgium at the revived Brussels Motor Show in January 2025 and start deliveries in the spring.

Stellantis dealer Nova-Van Brempt Groep from Lier joins Pagnotta from Limburg, L’Universelle from Luik, Garage Serneels from Heist-Op-Den-Berg, and D&O Mobility Group from Alsemberg (Brussels) to sell the fully electric Omoda 5 EV sedan and the compact Jaecoo 7 SUV, which has a more robust look and a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) drivetrain.

Cozy family atmosphere

According to the press release, Nova—Van Brempt is a family business founded in 1946 and currently run by the third generation. The group employs about forty people. In addition to various Stellantis brands like Peugeot, Citroën, Fiat, and Jeep, the establishment also houses its own museum, which ‘emphasizes the cozy family atmosphere’.

We could already take the Omoda 5 EV, a fully electric compact SUV, on the road for a first test. This one is aimed at families and plays in the league of the Hyundai Kona EV, BYD Atto 3, or the MG ZS, the first affordable Chinese EV to hit Belgian roads and introduced in Europe back in 2019.

Keeping the price low?

Like that one, the Omoda 5 EV won’t knock your socks off but should offer value for money if Chery can keep the price as low as it is nowadays in Spain, some 37,900 euros. Chery is confident it will not be taxed by 21.3% in the best case, up to 36.3% 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, a limited number of them have been built in Barcelona in one work shift, but that could be 150,000 by 2029.

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.

So far, five dealer groups have been officially announced for Belgium. According to Taylor Zhang, Country Director of Belgium & Luxemburg, Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, and Mons are next, with up to 20 dealerships covering the whole of Belux. Official prices have not been communicated yet. This will be done at the Brussels Motor Show, which runs from January 10th to 19th, 2025.