New Chinese brand Omoda, set to launch its Omoda 5 petrol and electric models in the UK in the coming weeks, has revealed its second global model that should arrive in the UK next year.
The Omoda 7 will feature the brand’s first plug-in hybrid powertrain promising a combined range of 740 miles on a full tank of fuel and with a full battery charge. At this stage, there’s no word on what size battery is in the car or its electric-only range, but under the bonnet is a bespoke version of Omoda’s 1.5 GDTi petrol engine.
Sizewise, the 7 is around 4.6m long, meaning it’ll be a direct rival for the likes of the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson. The brand has said that the 7 will be a flagship model with a ‘more sport-focused driving experience’ that was developed following extensive research with early Omoda adopters from across the world.
The Omoda 7 features a development of the Omoda 5’s styling with a sleeker, fastback look, part of what the company says is a “stylish 360-degree design language”. Slim headlights extend around to the side of the bodywork and flank a new-style grille featuring hexagonal blocks punched out of the bodywork with gaps between for airflow.
A black, full width lower ‘mouth’ blends into a black spoiler that flows around the side of the car, across the wheelarches, side sills and around the back, too.
There’s a strong tech story inside the car with what Omoda calls “an ultra-sensitive intelligent cockpit’. It features a large 15.6-inch central touchscreen that can slide across the dashboard to sit ahead of the front-seat passenger.
A 12+2 speaker audio system that apparently offers “million-level tuning” can recreate the experience of being in a concert hall and works with active noise cancelling in the cabin. Voice control has four distinct zones so it can be activated accurately by all passengers, while there’s even an intelligent fragrance system on board.
At the launch of the Omoda 7 in parent company Chery’s home city of Wuhu, the brand also confirmed a European production facility in Spain, which is set to serve the UK market. There’s no word on whether the Omoda 7 would be built there, but it’s a possibility that the third, smaller Omoda model, the Omoda 3, could be the first European-built model from the Chinese brand.