New Omoda C9 breaks cover in South Africa

The new Chinese Omoda brand is the luxury wing of Chery. After Chery returned to South Africa in 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 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 C5 is 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.

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 yet shared much information, including pricing, but confirms the C9 will be in dealerships before the end of the year.