Omoda 5 Review

Chinese budget brand addresses criticisms of its Nissan Qashqai rival just a year after launch The dearth of low-priced petrol cars on sale today can’t have escaped many of us, so it's no wonder that after just a year on sale, the Omoda 5 is already a common sight on UK roads, being a decently powerful Chinese answer to the Volkswagen T-Roc and Nissan Qashqai that costs from just £24k.If you’ve not yet heard of Omoda, there’s a chance you will know of its parent company. State-owned Chery was founded in 1997 and is China’s most prolific exporter of cars, even if BYD has now overtaken it domestically.Chery now has a whole four brands in the UK: Chery, Omoda, Jaecoo and Lepas. It's hard to keep track, but Omoda is supposed to offer crossovers with “statement” designs. Make of that what you will.They're sold entirely conventionally through a growing network of dealerships. More than that, while Omoda’s cars are currently made in Wuhu, eastern China, discussions are taking place as to whether a UK plant would be advantageous. The company has already committed to taking over an old Nissan plant in Barcelona, and the 5 itself has been tuned by a team based in Frankfurt – one led by a former JLR engineer.