One of China’s most popular car brands will focus on petrol vehicles and boost its activity in the UK as it seeks to improve its standing on the world stage.
Chery recently launched the Omoda 5 in the UK, which will sell for £25,000 for the petrol version and £33,000 for the electric vehicle.
The electric model will come equipped with a seven-year vehicle warranty, an eight-year battery warranty and an impressive battery range of 257 miles.
Victor Zhang, the UK head of Chery, predicted that the transition to electric vehicles would be slower in the UK because of reservations about charging infrastructure and the cost of new electric vehicles.
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The Omoda 5 EV was in action during the Goodwood Festival of Speed
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According to the latest data from Zapmap, there are 66,779 public charging devices across the UK, with an impressive 46 per cent growth year-on-year.
There are still expectations that the UK will achieve the Government’s goal of installing 300,000 chargers across the country by the end of the decade
This would significantly boost the uptake of electric vehicles when drivers know they rely on the public charging network, especially if they cannot charge at home.
Zhang noted that this was an issue, in addition to the cost of EVs, meaning the brand would support the use of internal combustion engines to support the brand’s launch in the UK.
Speaking to the Financial Times, he said: “Most of the new brands coming to the UK will do pure electric vehicles.
“We have the petrol version, hybrid and plug-in hybrid as well as EVs. I think this is a very important part of our strategy.”
The brand describes Omoda as a “pioneering automotive brand committed to innovative design, environmental responsibility and future technology”.
The petrol-powered Omoda 5 can go from 0-62mph in 7.8 seconds, has a fuel economy of 37.7mpg and comes equipped with an advanced infotainment system and a futuristic dashboard.
The electric version can charge from 30 per cent to 80 per cent in just 28 minutes, while also having 23 security protection features, something seen as crucial as car theft rates spiral.
Chery said it would also launch its more advanced brand – Jaecoo – in the coming months, with 60 dealerships around the UK waiting to sell the vehicles.
It has additional plans to expand its dealer network to 100 before the end of 2023, likely to be supported by the flagship Jaecoo J7 SUV.
Details of the launch have been kept to a minimum, although rapid expansion plans could see the brands offer eight petrol, hybrid and electric cars by the end of next year.
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Chery will lead with the Omoda 5 to boost its standing in the UK
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Peter Matkin, Chery’s engineering team leader, spoke in March about the plan to launch the Omoda 5 and Jaecoo 7 across the UK and other further goals.
He said: “We’ve put a lot of focus in developing cars for Europe. The UK cars will have bespoke damper settings, spring rates and bush rates, and we’ve made adjustments to the anti-roll bars to make sure they meet European tastes more closely.”