► How Omoda works
► First came to the UK in 2024
► Sister brand Jaecoo in front for now
Buy the smallest dongle or widget on eBay or Amazon and you’ll almost immediately be asked to give feedback to the seller, about both the buying process and the product itself. But spend an entire year’s salary on a new car and… nothing. There are exceptions, but it’s certainly not the rule for car manufacturers to ask for feedback on the car. Simple stuff: what do you and don’t you like about it?
It’s almost as if some manufacturers just aren’t interested, once they’ve got your money. But that’s not how Chinese firm Omoda thinks.
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Omoda first launched in the UK in August 2024 with its Omoda 5 crossover. The reviews from automotive journalists were not enthusiastic. For many car makers, that might prompt at best an internal memo suggesting some changes to make in the facelifted version due in four years; at worst, an affronted complaint to the editors.
But that’s not how Omoda responded to negative feedback. After that poor reception in August 2024 it got to work, and by April 2025 it had already introduced a revised version of the Omoda 5 to address the criticism.
Some of the changes were pretty fundamental, including steering components being revised to bring more feedback from the front wheels to the driver. A new interior was introduced for the petrol model, borrowed from the EV as customers preferred that when asked.
Omoda has continued to revise its cars since, with tweaked engines and additional hybrid powertrains introduced – both changes customers asked for.
Oli Lowe, head of product at Omoda UK, reckons there’s a we-know-best attitude at some more established European car makers that stops changes being made quicker.
‘A lot of manufacturers feel they know what customers want without actually asking them. There’s a certain level of arrogance from established manufacturers surrounding customer feedback.
‘We’re really humble. We’re new and we know the European customer is very different.’
Within Omoda UK there is a dedicated person who works purely on gathering customer feedback and surveys. The UK team have weekly feedback calls with engineers at the firm’s head office in Wuhu, China. They’re said to be passionate about getting opinions from real-world users to improve their cars.
It’s these conversations that enable progress to be made, cutting through the red tape that traditionally means change happens at a much slower pace.
‘We’re fast paced. It would take European manufacturers years to push through these changes,’ says Lowe.
Examples include Volkswagen taking almost four years to reverse out of unpopular decisions on the Golf Mk8, such as fitting touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel, now replaced by conventional switchgear, and adding backlighting to its climate control.
Omoda was the first of the Chery Auto group’s brands to launch in the UK. It sold just shy of 20,000 cars in 2025, overtaking brands such as Lexus and Suzuki, and only just behind Citroën.
Though Chery’s Range Rover-lookalike brand Jaecoo has overtaken Omoda’s sales in the UK, Omoda is a big focus for Chery in 2025, as it introduces crossovers such as the Kia Sportage-rivalling Omoda 7 imminently and funky Omoda 4 later in the year. More hybrid models are also expected later in the year, all as a response to what customers have asked for.
