New Omoda C9 unveiled at Festival of Motoring

The new Chinese Omoda brand is the luxury wing of Chery. After Chery returned to SA during 2021, with sales having topped 20,000 units, the sleeker Omoda, derived from Oxygen and Moda (meaning modern), made a splash with the C5 range in April 2023.

At last weekend’s Festival of Motoring at Kyalami, the company revealed the  Omoda C9 as the brand’s new flagship.

The C9 raises the luxury ante with pop-out door handles, a floating bridge design dash, heated/cooled and massage-enabled front and rear seats with diamond-pattern leather upholstery, and a panoramic sunroof among other features. 

Typical of Chinese brands, digital wizardry available in the model includes a curved screen, augmented-reality (AR) navigation, facial recognition, a 50W wireless ultra-fast charger and a nine-speaker Sony sound system. 

Whereas the C5s are powered by a single range 1.5l petrol turbo engine with 115kW and 230Nm driving the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT), the Omoda C9 gets a turbocharged 2.0l petrol motor with 193kW and 400Nm feeding all-wheel drive (AWD) via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The safety comprises ABS brakes, stability control, airbags and a host of driving assistance systems including automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers, adaptive cruise control (ACC), forward-collision warning, emergency braking, blind spot detection (BSD), lane keeping and rear cross-traffic alert. 

Omoda SA has not shared much information at this stage, including any indicative pricing, but confirms the C9 will be in local dealerships before the end of the year.