Chery Omoda 5 News

If you need any more proof that China is becoming the dominant force in Australia’s automotive landscape, consider this.In the first six months of this year, 102,938 Chinese-made vehicles have been sold in Australia. Flash back five years to 2020, Chinese vehicle sales totalled just 11,055 in the same six-month period.That’s an 831 per cent increase in just five years. At this rate, China will overtake Thailand as the number two country of origin in Australia by next year. Japan is currently number one for imports, but for how long?Clearly a large number of Australians have no issue buying Chinese-built cars.The top 10 car brands for the first half of the year include Chinese giants GWM and BYD in seventh and eighth place respectively, while Tesla - which only imports cars to Australia from China - is ninth and SAIC-owned MG is just outside the table in eleventh.Yet looking at some of the commentary around this trend you’d be mistaken for thinking otherwise. There’s still a lot of negativity around Chinese brands and models despite the appetite for them here in Australia. But is it warranted?Honestly, it’s complicated.I appreciate some people have a moral issue buying a Chinese car given the long list of alleged current and historical human rights abuses carried out by the Chinese government. This is understandable.However, you could argue that if you take a stand against a particular country for historical human rights abuses there wouldn't be many countries left to buy cars from. The US isn’t exactly covering itself in glory when it comes to human rights at the moment.Other people take issue with the perceived quality of Chinese-made vehicles, in terms of build quality, materials and what they’re like to drive. And some of this concern is absolutely valid.The first crop of Chinese cars to hit Australia were, largely, awful. GWM, back in 2009 when it was just called Great Wall, served up some stinkers. The V240 SUV and X240 ute were terrible to drive, had poor build quality and the ute was even engulfed in an asbestos scandal.MG’s reboot as a Chinese-owned marque started in 2013 with the already dated MG6 sedan, but before it, Chery’s terrible trio of the J1 and J3 hatches and the J11 SUV ensured an early exit for the brand.Even some more recent attempts have been less than successful. Poorly calibrated advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) impacted Chery’s relaunch here a few years back with the Omoda 5, while even Deepal’s own company executives admitted the S07 EV was the most annoying car on sale in Australia thanks to incessant beeping and ADAS intervention.And, having driven a large number of Chinese cars currently on sale in Australia, I can confirm it is a mixed bag of good, bad and in between.But things are changing fast. I spent some time recently in China driving a raft of new models from BYD. While the test track was far too limited to develop decent drive impressions, it’s clear the overall quality of their cars has improved significantly. The interior design, materials used and even things like seat design impressed a lot of us hardened Aussie motoring writers.MG is on a roll at the minute, too. While I am yet to drive one myself, everyone that’s tested the MGS5 EV, including our very own Laura Berry, has raved about it. It’s like an SUV version of the already impressive MG4, only even better.GWM is consistently improving its models as it goes and having driven cars like the Tank 300 diesel and Haval H6 GT PHEV, I can confirm this to be true. Hiring noted former GM Holden engineer Rob Trubiani to tune its products will only help further.The quality of Tesla’s product improved greatly when Australian sourcing shifted from the USA to China a few years back.Granted, there are still some decidedly average cars in many of the Chinese brands’ model range.But to dismiss all cars from China is to fight a losing battle. Check those sales numbers again. Very soon half of the brands in the top 10 will be from China. GWM, MG and BYD all have ambitions for the top five or top three and some of the legacy brands aren’t doing much to stop them.I have had some alarming conversations with executives from legacy brands about China’s rise. I won’t name names, but multiple execs from top 10 brands have dismissed the popularity of Chinese brands in Australia and their potential to take over the industry. There is a sense from some that buyer loyalty will ultimately lead people back to long-standing brands.But this ignores the fact that hundreds of thousands of Australians don’t care about loyalty and they just want a good deal. And they are getting that in spades from the Chinese carmakers, much more than they are from the Japanese, Korean and European brands that have dominated for so long.So I guess what I am saying is, it might be time to get over the anti-China bias. Because you’re missing out on some pretty good cars. And in a few years there might not be as many non-Chinese brands to choose from.

Believe it or not, exactly two years have passed since the Chery Omoda 5 reestablished the Chinese challenger brand’s presence in the Australian new car market.It was already two years old by the time it hit our shores, so a design and packaging refresh is almost overdue.No surprise, then, that an updated version of the five-seat Omoda 5 small SUV has begun to appear in selected export markets.Changes are mostly cosmetic, including a glow-up for the previous broad, honeycomb-style grille to an equally bold ‘Matrix Grille’ treatment. At the same time the combination headlight pods on either side have been extended downwards and recessed more distinctly to form a more pronounced angular section defining the grille.The Omoda name also sits proudly at the top of the nose, under the leading edge of the bonnet in similar fashion to the current Omoda E5 pure-electric variant, while the slimline LED DRLs are unchanged. Redesigned 18-inch gloss black alloy wheels feature a five-way twin-spoke design.But the updates aren’t all cosmetic with the brand’s packaging boffins tweaking the boot space to increase volume (with rear seats upright) close to 20 per cent from 372 litres (360L quoted in Australia) to 442 litres.The interior is untouched with the sleek dual 10.25-inch screens in place across the dash and broad centre console including a ‘flying buttress’ design to provide a handy lower storage and connectivity space.Similarly, the (108kW /210Nm) 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine driving the front wheels through a CVT auto is unchanged.    When contacted for an update on the revised Omoda 5’s arrival in the local market, Chery Australia told CarsGuide it "doesn't have any confirmed timing for this model as yet".

The real world fuel efficiency of cars has long been in question, with owners and road tests repeatedly finding huge chasms between ratings used in advertising and what happens on the road. 

Being a relatively new brand, such as Chinese newcomer Chery, comes with advantages according to the company's Global Vice President of Design, Steve Eum.

Having confirmed Australian specification just last month, Chery has now set local pricing for its two-model Omoda E5 line-up, the new EV SUV applying the price thumb screws to established players in the small and medium EV SUV segments.

The Australian new-car market is going through a massive shift with new brands and nameplates launching at a more rapid rate than ever.

If you’ve been bothered by a ‘new’ feature in a car that’s supposed to make life easier but doesn’t - at least not for you - then don’t worry, you’re not the only one.

Why Chery is confident it will hit the top 10 - but says it may take time.

China’s rapid expansion will see it overtake Thailand by 2026