South Africa-bound Omoda C7 PHEV details emerge abroad

Confirmed to arrive in South Africa later this year between the C5 and C9, Chery-owned Omoda’s C7 has made its first public showing in Thailand after debuting globally at its annual future product media event in China last year.

Over 1 000 km combined range

Until now kept largely under wraps, the coupe-styled C7 will be offered with either a conventional combustion engine or a plug-in hybrid, of which both have been short on details until now.

Omoda’s equivalent of its parent’s Tiggo 7 Pro, the C7’s unveiling at the Bangkok Motor Show, which kicked-off over the weekend, only involved the latter powertrain which combines an electric motor and battery pack with the 1.5 T-GDI engine.

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The same setup used in the incoming Jaecoo J7 PHEV, the petrol engine develops 115kW/230Nm while the electric motor, driven by an 18.3-kWh lithium iron phosphate battery reportedly made by BYD, makes 150kW/310Nm.

Connected to a single-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT), the total system output comes to 265kW/530Nm, which translates to a 0-100 km/h dash of 8.5 seconds, and a claimed all-electric range of 95 km. The combined range with the petrol engine included is a claimed 1 250 km.

No details about the conventional combustion model were made.

Export market exclusive

In making the reveal, Malaysia’s paultan.org reports that the C7 had been designed specifically for key export markets, and such, won’t seemingly be offered in China where neither the Omoda nor Jaecoo brands are marketed.

Instead, both brand’s models are sold either as Chery, iCar or Exeed badged products in China, namely the J7 being badged as the Chery Tansuo 06, the C5 as the Chery Omoda 5, the all-electric Jaecoo J6 as the iCar 03, and the Omoda C9 as the Exeed Yaoguang.

Likely spec

On the specification front, the exhibited model sported a freestanding instrument cluster, an Omoda-first 15.6-inch instrument cluster, a 14-speaker Sony sound system and what appears to be physical switches on the steering wheel.

Also set to be offered, as hinted by the variant unveiled in China, is a fragrance dispenser similar to that of the C9, active noise cancellation for the speakers integrated into the front headrests, and quad-zone climate control.

Expected price

While set to make its Malaysian-market debut in 2026, the C7, as mentioned, will become available in South Africa this year with exact specification still be announced.

As an indicator though, anticipate possible pricing between R550 000 and R700 000 as stickers for the C5 range from R329 900 to R509 900, and those for the C9 between R785 900 and R885 900.

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