OMODA is making its way into the Philippines soon. As part of Chery International, the Omoda brand is backed by a huge Chinese automaker with a long list of achievements and a resume that’s filled WITH A LOT OF CREDIBILITY.

Chery International has five research and development (R&D) centers worldwide with 7,000 people as part of its R&D team. The company is said to be technology-driven, with more than 14,000 patents already registered. In addition, Chery as a whole has already sold to more than 11.2 million customers globally.

Over the past week, the Philippines has witnessed the arrival of not just one, not even two, but three new automotive brands from China. These are Hongqi, GWM, and Jetour — which is also part of Chery. With a market that’s nearly saturated with a ton of new Chinese car brands, how does Omoda plan to stand out?

Well, Omoda said that they are a brand dedicated to the “youthful and trendy driver.” Omoda’s Global Research and Development team conducted over 1,000 research in 20 countries, including the

Philippines, with the intention to create a vehicle that meets the expectations of the usual SUV — as well as exceed it.

The upcoming Omoda 5, while being a compact crossover SUV, blends the benefits of various vehicle types. This includes the space of an MPV, the ruggedness of an SUV, as well as the handling and comfort of a sedan. The brand is also driven by technology as the Omoda 5 has dual 10.25-inch screens, a “4.0 humanmachine interface system” and a suite of advanced driver-assistance systems that will include stuff such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, blind spot warning, just to name a few.

And then as for what’s under the hood of the Omoda 5, that will be a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine that produces 145 hp and 230 Nm of torque, which drives the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission.

More importantly is how much the Omoda 5 will cost. The executives at Omoda have said that the Omoda 5 will be priced below P1.5 million, putting it right at the heart of other Chinese compact crossover SUVs and costing much less than mainstream Japanese, Korean, American, and European rivals.