Omoda

[119]

More Chinese quality motoring hits the UK market.

Oh joy.

https://omodaauto.co.uk/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0...

[Pica-Pica]

119 said:

More Chinese quality motoring hits the UK market.

Oh joy.

https://omodaauto.co.uk/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0...

I recall when ‘made in Japan’ indicated poor, post WW2 crap. That changed to reliable stuff. Then South Korea became the leaders, next it will be Chinese goods (then South African, Brazil ??).

[andrewpandrew]

When a bare-bones VW Tiguan costs £35k+, you can see how there could be some appeal with these vehicles.

[119]

I agree.

It appears many of the main stream manufacturers are almost ignoring the influx of Chinese etc vehicles to the market.

[Robertb]

Meanwhile my colleague has just left to pick up her 3 week old quality European-made car with an apparently untraceable engine management fault from the dealer. Hopefully it won't break down again.

[RazerSauber]

Seen a few of these recently, and passed a dealer containing Omoda and Jaecoo vehicles. They had a mountain of other brands on the forecourt. I presume they were PX's. Price will be a huge player in their success. As it's already been pointed out, base spec Euro stuff is getting pricey. If you can get the same transport for 5-10k less, the average consumer will buy them. 7 year, 100,000 mile warranty isn't to be sniffed at either.

[A.J.M]

The local Parks dealership has changed from Vauxhall to Jaecoo and omoda.

Then had large boards with very cheap pcp deals so that explains why there’s a fee appeared.

They look generic but will fill the void that Ford and Vauxhall used to cater to before they either stopped selling to that market segment or priced themselves out of it.

[valiant]

Was having my car serviced the other week and my PSA dealership have taken on a Omoda/Jaecoo franchise. Had a poke at the Jaecoo7 whilst I was waiting and it wasn't bad at all. Not my cup of tea and it was a bit flimsy in places but they were punting them out on cheap PCP deals so you can see the attraction.

When you consider an equivalent X-Trail is mid-40grand nowadays, you see why the Chinese will be a success. They're also owned by Chery which is a huge brand in China with serious aspirations for Europe, they will be dominating in the years to come no doubt.

[GeniusOfLove]

People piss all over the Chinese cars as if a 2025 VAG dross box isn't a ruthlessly cost engineered turd of a car, or a Mercedes Benz, or a wky BMW FWD crossover, or any of the losers from Stellantis. I remember the mags hooting and scoffing at Japanese cars even in the 90s when they were objectively far superior to the rubbish they told people to buy from Ford or GM Europe - getting people to buy crap cars to keep the launch jollies and advertising money flowing.

For their first offerings they're decent, give them 5 years and VAG etc will have to trade entirely on badge and marketing even more than they do now.

It makes me laugh that people seem to think they owe the legacy manufacturers something, we should be happy to see this competition particularly at a time they're doing their best to fit both fists inside us without lube on new car pricing.

[Skodillac]

Saw a white Jaecoo SUV thing in the school car park today. I'm having trouble telling it apart from one of those reduced fat Range Rovers, whatever they're called. I suppose that's the point.

I look forward to seeing some more car-shaped Chinese appliances on the roads though, rather than horrible SUVs. BYD seem to be doing best on that measure so far in the UK market.

[CraigyMc]

I wonder how long they'll be around in the UK.

https://find-and-update.company-information.servic...

OMODA & JAECOO UK LIMITED
Company number 15203898
Registered office address
Building 7 Chiswick Park, 566 Chiswick High Road, London, W4 5YG
Company status
Active
Company type
Private limited Company
Incorporated on
11 October 2023
Accounts
First accounts made up to 31 December 2024
due by 11 July 2025

Confirmation statement
Next statement date 10 October 2025
due by 24 October 2025

Last statement dated 10 October 2024

Nature of business (SIC)
45111 - Sale of new cars and light motor vehicles
45112 - Sale of used cars and light motor vehicles
45200 - Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles
45310 - Wholesale trade of motor vehicle parts and accessories

[valiant]

They're rebadged Chery's.

Chery is massive in China with multiple sub brands.

Once established, they'll be going nowhere.

[-Lummox-]

I do wonder how "eco" it actually is for a lot of these companies and vehicles to be popping up, and similarly vanishing a few years later like Fisker.

There must be a huge environmental cost to produce a new electric SUV, and if the service life of it is relatively short, is it actually any better for the planet than buying an ICE car that weighs significantly less (as they usually do, for equivalent sized vehicles)? Can they be easily recycled without great expense?

I suspect much of this trend has to do with cheap lease deals where the customer doesn't have to worry about resale value or what will happen with the vehicle in 5 years' time, since they're only leasing it not buying it.

I also wonder whether cheap EVs are the enemy of sheddists... I can't see anyone wanting to touch a £2k EV in 7-10 years' time as the battery replacement cost alone is likely to make the car scrap if it needs one, and the decline in availability of ICE cars will push up the value of decent used ICE cars to the point they are out of budget for your average sheddist.

[fozzymandeus]

Years ago I remember laughing at a feeble BMW X5 copy made by BYD. It even had a bonnet badge that was a circle with a blue half and a white half, and B Y D around the bottom.

I thought “no way we’ll ever tolerate that cynical tosh in the UK”.

At the weekend I saw a feeble Range Rover Velar copy drive through my town centre. It was badged “Jaecoo”.

So I was wrong.

[CraigyMc]

fozzymandeus said:

Years ago I remember laughing at a feeble BMW X5 copy made by BYD. It even had a bonnet badge that was a circle with a blue half and a white half, and B Y D around the bottom.

I thought “no way we’ll ever tolerate that cynical tosh in the UK”.

At the weekend I saw a feeble Range Rover Velar copy drive through my town centre. It was badged “Jaecoo”.

So I was wrong.

At least one of the X5 copies was close enough that the doors were parts-compatible (you could take the doors off the copy and put them on the BMW, and vice-cersa).

In the West that would be a court case, but China does what it wants.

[Krikkit]

fozzymandeus said:

Years ago I remember laughing at a feeble BMW X5 copy made by BYD. It even had a bonnet badge that was a circle with a blue half and a white half, and B Y D around the bottom.

I thought “no way we’ll ever tolerate that cynical tosh in the UK”.

At the weekend I saw a feeble Range Rover Velar copy drive through my town centre. It was badged “Jaecoo”.

So I was wrong.

And BYD sold more EVs in 2023 than Tesla (i.e. before the Musk implosion), the progress is remarkable. Rule out nothing imho.

[hammo19]

They laughed at Skoda…….they’ve done pretty well.

[GeniusOfLove]

fozzymandeus said:

Years ago I remember laughing at a feeble BMW X5 copy made by BYD. It even had a bonnet badge that was a circle with a blue half and a white half, and B Y D around the bottom.

I thought “no way we’ll ever tolerate that cynical tosh in the UK”.

At the weekend I saw a feeble Range Rover Velar copy drive through my town centre. It was badged “Jaecoo”.

So I was wrong.

And in all likelihood the cheap rip off version will be working years and years after the JLR original has been turned into coke cans having eaten it's 2nd or 3rd ingenium.

I'm not saying the Chinese cars aren't crap, I'm saying the European stuff has gone down in quality and creativity to meet them just as they've come up to international standards. If I had to drive an NPC turd I can't say I'd give two sts if it was a VW ID something or a Omoda Magic Friend 9000, particularly if one cost me £150 a month less than the other. They're all toss.

Edited by GeniusOfLove on Tuesday 18th March 16:04

[murphyaj]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0C9dppAmO4

Top Gear from 21 years ago, driving a bunch of korean cars from little known manufacturers like Kia, and poking fun at how cheap and bad they were. Doesn't look so smart now, and I suspect anyone making fun of the new Chinese brands won't look especially smart in another 20 years.

[MikeM6]

hammo19 said:

They laughed at Skoda…….they’ve done pretty well.

Showing your age there, been a while since anyone laughed at a Skoda!

I think the influx of cheap Chinese cars is a mixed bag, one the one hand we need cheaper cars as the prices charged for run of the mill stuff is silly now.

But how they achieve their prices bothers me, as Euro cars cannot compete with slave labour.