Omoda-Jaecoo brand strategy unfolds

THE Chery Group’s international brand strategy has now been implemented in Australia with the formation of Omoda-Jaecoo, a pairing intended to offer a slightly more premium collection of models than Chery – each with a unique focus to delineate between Jaecoo and the newly formed Omoda brand.

This follows the launch of Omoda’s first vehicle in Australia – the Omoda 9 plug-in hybrid large SUV – and the recent rebranding of the Chery Omoda 5/E5 as the Chery C5/E5 in mildly facelifted form. 

Speaking to GoAuto at the Omoda 9’s Australian launch in Sydney, Omoda-Jaecoo’s chief commercial officer Roy Munoz said the formation of Omoda-Jaecoo just five months after the Jaecoo brand debuted here was following a global directive for brand strategy – subsequently providing a staggered introduction of these new model lines in an attempt to hopefully minimise any confusion over brand names or positioning.

“We’re following global strategy to align the brands – Omoda and Jaecoo must sit together,” said Mr Munoz.

“(They) will be clearly delineated and stand separately as Omoda-Jaecoo, so you would not see a separate Jaecoo dealer or a separate Omoda dealer – it will always be Omoda-Jaecoo dealers.

“Some of them are part of the Chery network as well, and some of them are separate to the Chery network.”

This follows the same Omoda-Jaecoo strategy used in the United Kingdom, though each brand features its own public website and the Omoda 5 is marketed as an Omoda-branded car in the UK, not a Chery like in Australia.

Given the disparate origins of these international Chery vehicles in their home market – in China, the Jaecoo J7 is a Chery Tansuo 06, the Jaecoo J8 is a Chery Tiggo 9 and the Omoda 9 is an Exeed Yaoguang – the Australian Omoda-Jaecoo operation intends to establish the two brands by making Jaecoo ‘adventure’-focused and pushing Omoda as a ‘new luxury’ offering with an emphasis on slick styling and technology.

“(In terms of the delineation between Omoda and Jaecoo), it’s kind of like JLR (Jaguar-Land Rover) – Omoda is more our fashion-forward, almost new-energy-focused brand and Jaecoo is more of your adventure, outdoor-ish type brand,” aded Mr Munoz.

“So, they kind of have their own personalities, but live together, like siblings almost.”

Given this brand strategy, the Omoda 9 will only be offered in ‘Super Hybrid’ plug-in hybrid form in Australia, not with the turbo-petrol combustion engine available in other markets.

Omoda and Jaecoo will also be “primarily SUV”, even though Chery’s Exeed premium brand in China also offers the handsome Sterra/Exlantix ES large sedan in electric and range-extender forms, riding on a 3000mm wheelbase (which is almost 200mm longer than an Omoda 9’s).

Likely to appear in Omoda’s future Australian line-up is the Omoda 7 – a distinctly different Jaecoo J7-sized medium SUV featuring identical drivetrains (ICE and PHEV) that is already confirmed for the UK market – as well as the possibility of the Exeed Sterra/Exlantix ET electric large SUV if it can be produced in right-hand drive.

Next vehicle to arrive in Australia, however, will be the Jaecoo J5 small SUV, which is covered in detail by GoAuto.

As for point-of-sale infrastructure: “we’re aiming for about 50 (Omoda-Jaecoo dealerships) by the end of the year and then just sort of hold,” said Mr Munoz.

“So, going into metro locations, large provincial (locations), but ensuring a good spread of dealerships. So, not basically just anywhere and everywhere.

“We’re also looking at where a lot of our leads data is coming from, if there are unserviced pockets, and just looking for the right operator to represent the brand.

“We (already) have a great, almost national established network, and it’s just filling those pockets where we’re getting a lot of interest in the brand, and where there’s enough gap between dealers to ensure throughput and viability.”

Five more Omoda-Jaecoo dealers will be opening shortly, though the current focus is on fleshing out the Sydney metro coverage “where we’re light on representation at the moment”, said Mr Munoz.

Key areas in need of coverage include western and south-western Sydney – ‘auto alley’ in Parramatta, Penrith and the Macarthur region – as well as Sydney’s northern beaches and the ACT.

A NSW Central Coast Omoda-Jaecoo dealership will be appointed “in the next two to three months” and from there the focus will concentrate on filling dealership pockets in Victoria, Brisbane and Adelaide.

In comparison to Omoda-Jaecoo, Chery will have around 100 dealerships in Australia by Christmas in 2025.

As for servicing the rather complex Omoda 9 with its three electric motors, turbo-petrol engine, and three-speed DHT transmission, Mr Munoz said they would prefer it to be serviced within the Omoda-Jaecoo network, not by a regular Chery dealer, due to its higher level of technology and specific servicing requirements.

“The techs will be trained specifically for Omoda (with its unique tech), and also there might be a difference in parts that an Omoda-Jaecoo dealer uses and has access to,” he stated.

“So, obviously that would be preferable, but because we are the same team, if it was more convenient to the customer (to service their Omoda 9 at a Chery dealership), we could find a way to entertain servicing.

“But it might raise another point – that it might be time to put in a service point (for Omoda-Jaecoo). Those are the things that we’re watching to ensure that we can support our customers, depending on where they’re purchasing.”