![\"Jaecoo](\"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/how-omoda-and-jaecoo-redefined-uk-car-sales-with-lightning-fast-growth-and-unbeatable-value.jpg\" "\\"Jaecoo")
<\/a><\/p>\nChery-owned sibling brands took less than 12 months to do what took Hyundai 24 years and Kia 15 years<\/p>\n
When Tesla<\/a> pushed past the 1.5% UK market share goalpost in just 10 years, the EV brand was lauded for managing what took\u00a0Hyundai<\/a> 24 years and\u00a0Kia<\/a>\u00a015 years.<\/span><\/p>\n Then came the Chinese and smashed the established timeframe for how long it takes to become a mainstream brand in the UK.<\/p>\n First BYD<\/a> hit that figure in just two years, according to figures collated by Autotrader. Setting a new record, however,\u00a0are Chery-owned sibling brands Omoda<\/a> and Jaecoo<\/a>, which together blew past the 1.5% target in less than 12 months, hitting 1.6% by the end of July with sales of 19,219 in the first seven months of 2025.<\/p>\n In doing so, Omoda and Jaecoo jointly outsold established brands such as Citro\u00ebn<\/a>, Suzuki<\/a>, Dacia<\/a>, Fiat<\/a> and Honda<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the month of July, Omoda and Jaecoo\u2019s combined share stood at a whopping 2.7%, beating Renault<\/a>, BYD,\u00a0Mazda<\/a> and Tesla.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more extraordinary is that their sales success has come about with essentially just two cars, the Omoda 5<\/a> and Jaecoo 7<\/a>, both compact SUVs. The new, smaller Jaecoo 5<\/a> has yet to land while the larger Omoda 9<\/a>\u00a0is still niche, due to its higher price point.<\/p>\n So what has been the brands’\u00a0secret? The first big weapon deployed by Chery was network coverage, with Omoda and Jaecoo\u00a0(which share showroom space) now up to 81 dealers in the UK.<\/p>\n \u201cCompared to other new entrants, we wanted to make sure that we had full coverage,\u201d Gary Lan, CEO for both Omoda and Jaecoo in the UK, told Autocar at the recent UK launch of Chery’s eponymous brand<\/a>.<\/p>\n Most newcomers are more tentative when they arrive in a new country, preferring to build awareness slowly before committing to signing up dealers. Omoda and Jaecoo however took advantage of upheaval in the UK dealer space to quickly sign up partners looking to exit brands that were either downsizing, like Ford<\/a>, or in new-model limbo, such as Stellantis.\u00a0<\/p>\n Minimal corporate identity requirements (signage and branding)\u00a0cut costs and allowed dealers to quickly rebrand showrooms. \u201cThey give us signs and some furniture and that\u2019s it,\u201d said one former Vauxhall<\/a> dealer who made the switch.<\/p>\n \u201cThey had a suite of solid retailer partners already lined up and ready to go before the cars had even landed,\u201d Ian Plummer, commercial director of Autotrader, told Autocar.<\/p>\n The second is that, despite the fact they only had two cars, Omoda and Jaecoo offer a wide drivetrain choice to suit private or fleet buyers, the latter tending to prefer low-tax electrified cars.\u00a0<\/p>\n The base Omoda 5 and Jaecoo 7 are straight petrol offerings, while the Omoda E5 is electric and the Jaecoo 7 SHS is\u00a0a plug-in hybrid. A full hybrid is also on the cards.<\/p>\n \u201cIt meant they could walk consumers up and down the range and in or out of EVs, thereby broadening their appeal very quickly,\u201d Plummer said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Jaecoo 7 SHS especially\u00a0has been a big hit, becoming Britain\u2019s third-best-selling PHEV after the BYD Seal U<\/a> and Volkswagen\u00a0Tiguan<\/a> to the end of July, with 6498 sales, according to figures from the SMMT.<\/p>\n Interestingly, retail sales of the PHEV are slightly outpacing fleet sales, suggesting that private buyers are being lured over to a fuel-saving technology that traditionally has a been a company car tax wheeze.<\/p>\n This leads us to perhaps the biggest draw of Omoda and Jaecoo cars,\u00a0one that has\u00a0been used by all challenger brands from the east over the years: you get more car with more kit for less money.<\/p>\n The Omoda 5 starts at \u00a323,990, which brings Nissan Qashqai<\/a> size for Nissan Juke<\/a> money. Similarly the EVs outpace the competition, with the new Jaecoo E5 costing from \u00a327,505 where a Kia EV3 with a similar battery size and power starts at \u00a333,005.\u00a0<\/p>\n As befits China\u2019s status as the global gadget hub, you get a range of freebies, like a \u2018540-deg’\u00a0panoramic camera and app-based remote control.<\/p>\n Tech is an area of particular focus for Jaecoo and Omoda to set themselves apart from the competition. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to just be equal to the Japanese, the Koreas or the Europeans;\u00a0we want to be better. That\u2019s our mark,\u201d Lan said.<\/p>\n In areas where the brands and their cars miss the mark, Chery\u2019s home market training has taught them to reload quickly and be hyper-sensitive to customer feedback. \u201c<\/p>\n “In the Chinese market in general, the evolution is scary fast,\u201d Oliver Lowe,\u00a0UK product manager for Omoda and Jaecoo, told Autocar. \u201cWe learn the lessons from the previous models and apply them where possible.\u201d<\/p>\n