For the past few months Chinese car brand Omoda has been teasing us with their new (to New Zealand) range of ICE and EV vehicles. We’ve seen them coming fresh out of the container, been on test drives and even heard about the brand’s objectives, warranty and support services. However, the one thing they’ve kept quiet about throughout this time has been the price. That is until now.
The recent ‘final and official’ launch of Omoda to NZ was no ordinary event; it was a showstopper filled with music, dance, and adrenaline-fuelled entertainment. The crowd was captivated by the spectacle of conversations with artificial intelligence, pulsating strobe lights, laser beams, and dancers that seemed to have stepped straight out of the movie Tron. And as if that wasn’t enough, to keep the energy high, a talented DJ pumped out tunes that reverberated through the events centre.
It was upbeat and energetic and culminated with the presentation of Omoda’s vehicles themselves, the sleek and stylish E5 EV and the fashionista that is the C5.
While Omoda itself is a fresh new brand that began in 2022, it is a subsidiary of the Chinese powerhouse Chery, which had dominated the automobile industry since 1997. Sheldon Humphries, the Country Manager of Omoda and Jaecoo New Zealand, began by sharing with us all the origin of the Omoda name.
“The ‘O’ in Omoda represented ‘oxygen’, symbolising our commitment to being a low or zero-emission brand. And ‘Moda’, on the other hand, means ‘modern’, reflecting our focus on catering to the eco-conscious fashion-minded individuals.”
The extravagant launch perfectly complemented Omoda’s ethos.
As outlined before, we already had been given a sneak preview of the all-electric E5 and this was followed up with the opportunity to explore first-hand their conventional petrol-powered C5. Both vehicles left us thoroughly impressed, but the burning question remained: how much would they cost? Finally, the moment of truth had arrived.
“Omoda has four petrol models to choose from,” Sheldon announced. “The C5 BX 1.5T comes in at a modest price of $29,990, followed by the C5 EX 1.5T priced at $34,990. For those seeking a little more power, there is the C5 GT 1.6T available for $37,990. And for the enthusiasts looking for an all-wheel-drive option, the C5 GT AWD 1.6T is available for $39,990.”
But wait, there’s more. For those more EV electric vehicle motivated, Sheldon told us that Omoda had two models on offer. The E5 BX, their all-electric ‘base model’, was priced at $47,990 and for those seeking their top of the line in luxury and state of the art features, the E5 EX came at $54,990.
The pricing is good, very good in fact and certainly an attention-getter and worthy of the fanfare.
The event was topped off with the announcement that Omoda are now in partnership with one of Aotearoa’s longest-standing environmental charities, Keep New Zealand Beautiful.
With Sheldon saying, “Keep New Zealand Beautiful’s commitment to the environment and goals aligns with Omoda Jaecoo’s seamlessly. We hope that by partnering with Keep New Zealand Beautiful, we will cement our commitment to New Zealand and to supporting the work of this important organisation for future generations.”
And finally a client was invited up from the crowd to become the first NZ owner of an Omoda vehicle – see, told you the pricing was good.
