Omoda is a new Chinese brand that has just launched in the UK. WhichEV talked to Omoda’s Public Relations Manager, Rob Durrant, at the Everything Electric show in the Excel Centre, London, about what makes the new company special.
Durrant: We've got two versions of the Omoda 5 coming to the UK. We've got an internal combustion and pure electric, which is the E5. Both are due to go on sale around May/June – early summer. The petrol version starts at about £24,000. There are only two trim levels. The standard equipment is pretty high. Comfort is the first level. And then we've got Noble, which is the top level that adds things like power tailgate and sunroof. But even the Comfort version has electric seats. The E5 electric version starts at £33,500, up to £35,500, for the Noble spec. That's still to be confirmed, but that's roughly where we're estimating it's going to be.
WhichEV: So what is special about this car, and why do you think it's going to be a success in the UK?
Durrant: We'd summarize it as affordable premium. We benchmarked the car in terms of design, exterior, interior, and materials, against much higher position products. The technology is something that you'd expect more from a car at a much higher price point. We’re bringing advanced technology to a cheaper price point. It’s got full safety, so a five-star Euro NCAP rating. It's got over 17 ADAS features on it. That’s all built into every version of the car.
WhichEV: A novel approach for EVs is you’re going through a dealer network rather than going straight to customer as a purely digital play. Can you explain what your philosophy is behind that?
Durrant: As a new brand, we have the opportunity to do things slightly differently. But having a traditional bricks and mortar dealer network, we felt was very important as a new brand. We felt it was key for customers to be able to interact with the cars to see them. We think this is going to appeal to young families, so you're going to want to make sure that your buggy can fit in the boot, that the seat can fit in the back. You're going to really want to get hands on with it. That underpins that decision to have a physical presence. This is a very practical purchase, and you're going to need to know that it will fit your needs.
WhichEV: What are your plans in terms of sales? How many do you hope to sell in the UK?
Durrant: This is the first of a number of models that we're going to introduce, so across all of that expanding range, we're hoping for about 10,000 units in the first year. Probably about 30% or so will be fleet sales. The remainder will be retail. That will grow progressively until we get towards 2027/28, when we're targeting around 50,000. Putting it into perspective, MG has done amazing job. They’re over 80,000 cars last year in the UK. For us, over 3 or 4 years, to be at the 50,000 mark will be will be great achievement.
WhichEV: What are the specifications of the E5?
Durrant: The basic specs are just over 60kWh battery. It can charge up to 80kW, so that's 30% to 80% in around 25 or 30 minutes. The WLTP range is 257 miles. Efficiency is just 4 miles per kWh, so it’s quite effective, and we're finding already that it's running very close to that in real life.
Watch this space for a full review in WhichEV once the car becomes available.