Chinese Omoda and Jaecoo get second Belgian foothold in Liège

After signing up Fiat & Alfa Romeo dealer Pagnotta in Maasmechelen (Limburg), Chinese carmaker Chery Automotive gets a second foothold for its Omoda and Jaecoo brands in Liège with L’Universelle, a dealership for Hyundai, Mazda, Suzuki, and Chinese MG. L’Universelle also offers multi-brand second-hand cars.

Chery Automotive was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Wuhu, Anhui (China). It is partly owned by the Wuhu municipal government. Chery is currently the fifth biggest Chinese carmaker, selling more than 1.8 million cars in 2023, of which 940.000 were exported. Chery is active in 80 countries with over 1.500 sales points.

Eight active brands

As of 2024, the company has eight active brands, including the main Chery brand and Omoda and Jaecoo, which it wants to introduce in the Benelux market via some 20 partnering dealerships. Chery’s Benelux general director, Derek Du, told Autonieuws earlier he wants at least 10 dealerships to be active before the official launch this summer.

Chery chooses to introduce Omoda and Jaecoo first because these are mid-segment cars for a broader public, not aiming at a premium market like BMW, Audi or Mercedes.

For this public, Chery has the luxury brand Exlantix upon its sleeve to be introduced in 2025. The two Exlantix models, a sedan (ES) and an SUV (ET) were already presented at the Geneva Motor Show a while ago.

Not only EVs

These cars are not only EVs like the Omoda 5 Chery wants to introduce as a first. That SUV is offered with a 1.6 T-GDI gasoline engine or a fully electric version E5. In Belgium, the Omoda brand would rather focus on BEVs, while in Luxembourg, they “got the message that ICE models are still popular, to first introduce the ICE version of Omoda 5 .”

The Omoda E5 will be available in two variants, one with a ‘normal range’ of 300 km and the other with an ‘extended range’ of 450 km. 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 providing 340 Nm of torque. The cars have standard equipment, including 18-inch wheels, LED lighting, seats in eco-leather, and two 12.25-inch high-resolution dashboard screens. There’s a price indication that the BEV Omoda 5 will start at just under €40 000 for the basic version and up to €46 000 for the ‘long range’ top version.

If everything goes according to plan, Omoda will offer four to six different versions with different energy and power combinations, from pure ICE over PHEV to BEV. Jaecoo also offers SUVs with a more robust look and a focus on plug-in hybrid (PHEV) drivetrains. The compact Jaecoo 7 and the larger Jaecoo 8 are likely the first two models on offer.