This certainly won’t help those who are already confused as to what exactly is a Jaecoo, Chery and Omoda.
So here’s some interesting news that broke recently — Jaecoo Malaysia will soon not be known as Jaecoo for much longer. And instead of just Jaecoo, the Chinese automaker who currently produces the ever-popular J7 will soon be known locally as Omoda Jaecoo.
This rebranding exercise is set to take place during the upcoming Malaysian Autoshow, and incidentally coincides with the first anniversary of this automaker’s official launch over here.
Naturally, this move raises a few questions, so let’s break it down:
What Are The Implications Of This Rebranding Exercise?
Well, apart from further confusing the average Malaysian car buyer (because honestly, it’s already hard enough to keep track of all these Chinese brands), the actual implications are pretty minimal.
Expect maybe a few new signboards, updated letterheads, some showroom redesigns with more distinct “Omoda” areas… but that’s pretty much it.
Such is because this rebranding is really just about explicitly bringing the Omoda brand identity under the Jaecoo umbrella, something they’ve already been kind of doing anyway when they decided to sell the Omoda C9 as a Jaecoo late last year.
So… Why Are They Doing It Now?
In short: alignment with Chery’s global strategy.
When Chery decided to go big internationally back in 2023, they split their offerings into two stylish sub-brands — Omoda and Jaecoo — to appeal to export markets.
Malaysia, though, decided to do things a little differently: we got the Omoda 5 badged as a Chery, which made us one of the very few markets in the world to do so.
Cynically too here, one could argue that Chery Malaysia wants to dissociate Omoda brand itself from the Omoda 5, especially after some bad PR and mechanical hiccups last year. It’s telling that the Omoda C9, despite being sold by Jaecoo, carries zero Jaecoo badging.
(And here’s a juicy side note: check the geran for any Omoda C9 sold here, and you’ll see it’s actually registered with JPJ as a Chery Omoda 9. Why? Well, that’s an interesting story that will be saved for another day…)
What Will Happen To The Chery Omoda 5?
If we’re being honest — the smart money says it’ll quietly disappear.
Sales have not exactly been spectacular lately for this compact crossover, no doubt worsened by a few high-profile mechanical issues last year. So it might just be best for the wider Chery brand to let the Omoda 5 ride into the sunset and quietly erase it from everyone’s memory, for now at least.
What Will Chery Be Selling Over Here Then?
Let’s not forget that Chery Malaysia still has its Tiggo lineup.
While they may not be quite as flashy or trendy as the Jaecoo models, the Tiggo SUVs still cater to the more sensible, family-oriented crowd. Plus, Chery had previously teased a smaller, WR-V-sized crossover that could be added to the local lineup soon, though word on that has dried up somewhat in recent time.
Final Thoughts
So, what’s happening here is a rebrand with minimal disruption, mainly to tidy up Malaysia’s unique (and slightly confusing) position within Chery’s global branding strategy.
Going forward, it’s likely that:
- Chery = Tiggo = Practical and family-focused
- Omoda Jaecoo = Trendy, stylish, youthful buyers
Different strokes for different folks.
The Jaecoo name lives on, the Omoda badge becomes more prominent, and Malaysian buyers… well, they’ll still likely be as confused as they are today.
