Chery already has three mid-sized plug-in hybrid SUVs (PHEVs) across its Omoda Jaecoo and namesake brands in Australia. Now there’s one more thing to add.
The Omoda 7 is a sleeker alternative to the Jaecoo J7, with which it shares showroom space and with which the Omoda Jaecoo brand was launched in Australia earlier this year.
“Omoda 7 will launch in 2026. Timing and powertrain are yet to be confirmed at this stage,” a Chery Motor Australia spokesperson said Daily Sparkz.
Government approval documents released this week only list one powertrain for the front-wheel-drive midsize SUV: a 1.5-liter four-cylinder turbocharged plug-in hybrid system that combines a 105 kW gasoline engine with a 150 kW electric motor and a direct hybrid transmission.
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It is unlikely that torque outputs will be different from the Jaecoo J7 SHS (215Nm from the engine, 310Nm from the electric motor), and we would expect the same total system outputs of 255kW and 525Nm.
However, unlike rivals BYD Sealion 6 and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, there is no all-wheel drive option.
The Omoda 7 and Jaecoo J7 SHS both use an 18.3 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery and offer an all-electric range of 90 km on the WLTP cycle.
The Jaecoo’s claimed fuel consumption is 1.0L/100km when using 95 octane premium unleaded fuel.
The petrol drive confirmed for the British market (including right-hand drive) is not included in the registration documents. This is a 1.6-litre turbo four-cylinder with an output of 108kW/275Nm – enough for a claimed 0-100km/h time of 10.4 seconds.
This is how the Omoda 7 compares to the boxier Jaecoo J7:
| Omoda 7 | Jaecoo J7 | |
|---|---|---|
| length | 4630mm | 4500mm |
| Width | 1880mm | 1865mm |
| Height | 1680mm | 1680mm |
| wheelbase | 2725mm | 2700mm |
| Tare mass | 1873 kg | 1794kg |
| trunk | 639L* | 340L |
* denotes data obtained from the Omoda Jaecoo UK website
Like the Jaecoo J7 SHS, the Omoda 7 also rides on 19-inch alloy wheels.
Inside, there’s a 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
A look at the spec sheet of the Omoda 7 in the UK market also reveals available features such as a surround-view camera with a transparent body view, a 50W mobile phone charger, a panoramic sunroof, a 12-speaker Sony sound system and heated, ventilated and electrically adjustable front seats.
The Omoda 7, first unveiled at the 2024 Beijing auto show, will slot below the Omoda 9, which debuted here around the middle of the year as the first Omoda-badged vehicle under the separate Omoda Jaecoo brand.
It is offered here exclusively with a plug-in hybrid drive, although a conventional petrol drive is also available in some overseas markets, such as the Omoda 7.
It’s unclear whether this will be Chery’s last mid-size PHEV SUV in Australia, as the Chinese automaker is set to launch another brand here called Lepas next year.
However, Chery already has a range of models that can compete with the best-selling PHEV models Sealion 6 and Outlander, as well as the upcoming Toyota RAV4 PHEV.
The Omoda 7 joins not only the Jaecoo J7, but also the Chery Tiggo 7 PHEV and Tiggo 8 PHEV – the latter is considered a large SUV, but is close in size to the Outlander PHEV.
Omoda Jaecoo is positioned a step above Chery, and within this new brand there are more traditional SUV models called Jaecoos and sleeker crossover-style vehicles called Omodas.
Officially launched globally in 2023, Omoda Jaecoo only exists outside the Chinese market and is part of a rather confusing export strategy by China’s largest automobile exporter, with 1.14 million overseas sales in 2024. The company is off to a good start in markets such as the UK and Spain.
So far, Chery vehicles in China have all been branded under the Chery or Exeed brands. The Omoda 7 will be sold in China as the Chery Tiggo 7 Plus with some cosmetic changes.
MORE: What is Omoda Jaecoo and how is this new brand different from Chery?
MORE: Discover the Omoda showroom
