'If they're good — it's good for us': Omoda Jaecoo boss said Chinese rivals BYD, GWM and MG have helped it grow quickly in Australia as it targets top-10 entry

Omoda Jaecoo boss Shawn Xu said the rise of fellow Chinese automakers have given the brand a boost in Australia, rather than made the market more difficult to break into.

When asked about the stiff competition now in various parts of the market, particularly for affordable petrol-powered and now plug-in hybrid SUVs, Xu was confident Omoda and Jaecoo would continue to put runs on the board, despite its rival Chinese automakers already breaking into the top-10 automakers in Australia.

“Competition always happens. Here, we’re just fresh, but even in other markets we’ve grown very fast. Even in the UK — another right-hand drive market — last month we surpassed 3500 units a month. In half a year we have a two per cent market share, and in other markets this is also the case”

Xu explained experience from these other markets was a core part of how the Chery spin-off brands were continuing to establish themselves in Australia.

“With good products, and our philosophy of how to approach customers - we talk with dealers, we talk with customers and understand where the demand is - so with this kind of philosophy we can win that from customers. This is the reason why Chery Group has always been number one for export [from China] for the last 24 years.”

“Other Chinese brands are very strong. But why are we number one?”

Chery Group, which encapsulates its subsidiary marques like Omoda, Jaecoo, Jetour and Exceed, already has a large presence across the globe, despite being a relative newcomer locally. While its relaunch in Australia was only back in 2023, it has had explosive growth, with Chery up 235.2 per cent year on year, and Omoda Jaecoo clocking 1124 units from nothing the year before.

“We have five million customers around the world. We are number one, no other Chinese brand can follow us.” Xu said.

When asked whether other Chinese rival brands already being in the top-10 would eventually cause a problem for Chery with their dominance, Xu said if anything it was helping break the stigma for Chinese car companies, which he said would usher Chery as well as Omoda and Jaecoo into a top ranking position.

“We’re still learning, and we’re learning fast.” Xu explained.

“We are happy that other Chinese brands have found a good situation in Australia - it helps people trust Chinese brands and so I believe we’re one of the Chinese brands which is ahead of the others - but if they are good, it’s good for us.”

Xu’s predictions for growth went beyond that, with the executive saying it wasn’t a surprise how well the brand had done so far.

“We believe we can be a top ten brand. Right now we need time to let customers become aware of us, but when it comes to feedback from customers and the dealer conversion rate it’s very high.

“We’re targeting within two years to be a top-10 brand. If we can move faster than that. It could be even less.” he said.

This top-10 push to join BYD, MG, and GWM will be accompanied by a big product push, with Xu earmarking plenty of new product, like the Jaecoo J5 and Omoda 3 crossovers, Omoda 7 mid-size plug-in hybrid and even a ute, which could be ladder frame, monocoque or both.