The Chery User Summit is a massive affair that celebrates Science, Ecology, Creativity, and Public Welfare from the Chery Automobile Group. My colleague Ryno Fourie attended the 2023 edition, and you can check out what he experienced here.
Related: Omoda C9 (2024) First Drive Review
The summit this year held in Chery's hometown of Wuhu didn't pull the brakes and gave us a glimpse of what to look forward to in Chery's future. "Technology Empowers the Future" was the name of the game here. There were plenty of thoughts and motivations for the future of the automobile in Chery's view here. Looking at Omoda and Jaecoo specifically, these two sub-brands will dare to push the envelope more and, in their words, explore more of 'The no man's land' of technology in their vehicles and even in other areas. One such area is robotics, even with the Mornine humanoid robot and Argos robotic dog.
This article will cover what we saw, sampled, and experienced in the Omoda and Jaecoo spaces, which are set to come to South African shores quite soon. We sampled a few vehicles and checked out some displays; they should tickle your fancy. Unfortunately, we don't have full specifications yet as they're still under wraps, but we'll share some thoughts.
Jaecoo J8
The Jaecoo J8 will be the 7-seater SUV offering for the Jaecoo brand in South Africa. One can draw similarities between it and Chery's local Tiggo 8 Pro, but it turns it up 11. The J8 is capable of offroad stints, albeit not axle-busting, as we sampled the vehicle at a muddy RallyCross circuit, but it can also be a beast in the streets in its potent PHEV form. We sampled the full ICE J8, which uses a 2.0-litre petrol 4-cylinder turbocharged engine making 191kW and 390Nm, and power is sent via a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission to all four wheels.
Then we get to the PHEV version, which makes a ridiculous 451kW and 915Nm from its 1.5-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, two electric motors (One in front, the other in the rear) and power sent to all four wheels via a dedicated hybrid transmission. While the numbers are jaw-dropping, this doesn't mean the J8 PHEV is unruly. We sampled the J8 PHEV at Chery's test track near one of their factories, and the vehicle certainly felt powerful but controllable. You feel the vehicle's weight when you manoeuvre it, but that's to be expected. The steering feel is relatively light but will suffice for highway and urban usage.
Regarding looks, we reckon the metallic jade colour you'll see with the PHEV we sampled is a beauty. The J8 isn't exactly a shouty vehicle, with styling best described as elegant. Its sculpted body looks muscular and adheres to Jaecoo's adventurer-themed styling. Inside, the J8 is plush, and the tan colour choice for the leatherette materials looks great.
Jaecoo J6
Originally in China, the J6 is under a different Chery subbrand named iCar and labelled the iCar03. Though unveiled for South Africa recently at the Festival of Motoring 2024, we got to sample the J6 BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) at the same RallyCross track as the J8. It has been confirmed that you can have the J6 with either a single-motor or twin-motor setup. The single-motor rear-wheel driven variant makes 135kW and 220Nm, and the twin-motor all-wheel drive variant makes 205kW and 850Nm.
On the muddy trails, we sampled the twin motor variant, and despite our thinking the weight would be noticeable, the J6 in this application masks that quite well with reasonably neutral ride quality. However, the J6 has a propensity to powerslide on the rough stuff. Despite this, it's easily controllable with precise throttle modulation, making it fun to throw about. Despite the copious amounts of torque, it's not a handful, but the power distribution to all four wheels was handled well in our sampling.
Styling-wise, it's clear the J6 is inspired by old and new Land Rovers but employs a cyberpunk look with its vertical LED headlights, which look faceted. The luxury interior contrasts the boxy yet rugged looks with styling cues you'd tend to see in European premium brands. The J6 is cool, and we came off with positive feelings from the experience.
Jaecoo J5
This event also saw the global launch of the Jaecoo J5, the smaller brother to the J7 and arguably the more urban-looking of the bunch. The J5 we noticed is particularly aimed at pet owners, with plenty of proposed accessories for dog owners, so you can take your furry friends with you outdoors and have everything you need to cater to them, too.
The proposed J5 powerplant is a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol mill making 143kW and 290Nm, with power sent to either the front or all four wheels. We don't have confirmation on a transmission yet, but based on the vehicle's behaviour, we expect a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The J5 feels feather-light and nimble and is easy to drive.
Inside, compared to the J7, the J5 is less rugged and errs more to the elegant urban side of the spectrum. The interior theme coined 'Origin of Nature' as the interior is marketed as quite pet-friendly but still employs elements of luxury. You'll still see a large infotainment screen like the J7, but the instrument cluster is smaller and nestled into the dash rather than protruding. Outside, you'll draw many similarities to the J7, but look closely, and you'll see differences in the details such as the grill, lighting arrays and just the overall size of the vehicle.
Omoda C7 and Jaecoo J7 PHEV
Unfortunately, we didn't manage to drive the Omoda C7 and Jaecoo J7 PHEV, so we don't have specifications on the powertrains. The J7 PHEV is slated for South Africa, and one tidbit of info shared was the J7 PHEV International challenge, which spanned from countries like the UK, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Turkey. This vehicle managed a long-range challenge of 1 353 km on a single tank of petrol and 125km of electric range, with an average fuel consumption figure of 3.3 L/100km, which is remarkable.
We did manage to check out the styling elements of the Omoda C7. The C7 shows an evolution of Omoda's design language, and we think it flows nicely inside and out. The sharp front-end, cross-dissolving grille, and lighting strike style taillights are interesting and stand out in a subtle, elegant design. This continues into the cabin with a huge infotainment screen but more minor, subtle elements like the physical buttons handling vehicle features like air conditioning, hazards and some radio controls. Overall, the C7 follows a less busy design language but has outstanding elements.
Notable Event Mentions
We also attended a charity cycling event where Chery collaborated with IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), which integrates ecological cycling and environmental education as part of Chery Group's efforts for environmental responsibility.
Advancements in battery technology for electric cars are expected in 2026, and Chery Group wishes to release its own solid-state battery in the next two years. A game changer, we think.
Though cameras weren't allowed in the particular venue, we got an up-close glimpse of the updated Omoda C5, and we can assure you that it follows more of the styling cues of the Omoda C7 but is sharper.
During a Q&A session, we asked whether Omoda or Jaecoo is considering a bakkie in their model line-up shortly, and this is the answer we received from Mr Zhang Guibing, the General Manager of Chery International :
