Chery is expanding its Omoda line of crossovers with a new mid-sized plug-in hybrid SUV.
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The 2025 Chery Omoda 7 will sit between the Omoda 5, which spearheaded the Chinese brand's Australian return, and the Omoda C9, a rebadged Exeed RX/Yaoguang which has been approved for sale in Australia.
Revealed at the Beijing motor show, the Omoda 7 will commence its global launch in 2025. Chery Australia has yet to confirm when it'll come here.
Chery hasn't released much in the way of imagery or specifications, but has confirmed the Omoda 7 uses its latest hybrid powertrain architecture with a maximum range of 1250kg on a full tank and battery.
According to a presentation from the Beijing motor show attended by Malaysian outlet Paul Tan, the Omoda 7 uses a turbocharged 1.5-litre plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain offering 95km of electric range.
While we don't have total system outputs, the Jaecoo J7 PHEV revealed at Beijing – which also uses a 1.5-litre engine – has total outputs of 255kW and 525Nm.
The Omoda 7 reportedly uses a stretched, revised version of the Omoda 5's platform, and measures 4621mm long, 1872mm wide and 1673mm tall on a 2700mm wheelbase.
That makes it 6mm longer, 7mm wider and 17mm taller than a Toyota RAV4, on a 10mm longer wheelbase.
Like the Omoda 5 and Tiggo 7 Pro, there's a distinctive grille. Unlike those models, however, it has an unusual hexagonal pattern and a frameless look.
It also doesn't extend all the way up to the bonnet, leaving a closed-off section between the headlights – somewhat reminiscent of the Lexus RX.
There's a kinked C/D-pillar treatment like on the Omoda 5 and Tiggo 7 Pro, while there's also a colour-contrast roof, black wheel arches, and a strong shoulder line.
Down back, there's a rakish tailgate with the rear lighting assembly stretching across the rear.
Inside, there's a 15.6-inch free-standing infotainment touchscreen, as well as a small, free-standing digital instrument cluster.
Dual wireless charging pads form an angled bridge between the centre console and the dashboard. There don't appear to be any physical climate controls, with almost every function controlled via the large touchscreen.
Chery says the Omoda 7 has an intelligent voice assistant, a fragrance system, active noise cancellation, and a "12+2" speaker sound system offering a "concert hall quality sound experience".
The carmaker treats Omoda as a separate brand in markets like the UK and South Africa, while here and in China Omoda is a sub-brand sitting alongside the separate Tiggo family of SUVs under the Chery banner.
Chery will, however, introduce another brand to Australia in the second half of 2024 with Jaecoo. Its first model, the J7, is sold as a Chery in China, however.
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
