First sight: Omoda 9

In a polished modernist home a stone’s throw from the Solent, Car Design News finds House of Omoda, the refined setting for the launch of mid-sized SUV and brand flagship the Omoda 9.

Falling under the gargantuan Chery umbrella, Omoda is one of those Chinese brands that seemed to arrive out of nowhere. And now it seems to be everywhere. The brand was developed in Chery’s European design studio, which opened in 2019, following a directive from the mothership in Wuhu which tasked the design team to create a youthful new car that resonated with a tech-first customer.

At the time, this hip new car was at that point nameless but eventually became Omoda – an unlikely combination of “oxygen” and the Italian word for fashion “moda”. Omoda debuted in 2021 with the Omoda 5 and has followed with variants of the same before launching the Omoda 9 in the UK in April 2025.

Surprisingly, given China’s relentless pursuit of electrification, the Omoda is a hybrid promising a leggy 93 miles of EV range and a combined range of 700 miles. The Omoda 9 is a product of collaboration between the European studio headed up by Steven Eum and the Shanghai team.

The front face has a strong down road graphic thanks to a coast-to-coast lighting signature comprising 134 LED beads that from head on looks like a set of goalposts. “We want to have a really bold and futuristic identity with this car,” Duerr points out. In profile, the two vertical lines appear to jink back into the fender before pivoting towards the front face to frame a rather fussy, geometric grille, described by Michael Duerr as “an expanding star field”. The shoulder line extends uninterrupted from front to back, joining up with the rear light signature.

In profile, the Omoda 9 presents its best angle with subtle surfacing, short front overhang and falling roof line and topped off by a rooftop spoiler that are all suggestive of the brand’s premium pretensions. The Chinese leadership makes no bones about its intention to target the Audi Qs and similarly established Euro brands. Overall, the car feels well-planted and solid with a weightness to the body but the mass is broken up by piano black sill and glasshouse.

“We tried to create an emotional but well-balanced stance for the car. We do apply the golden ratio, but not as religiously as it might appear. We try to avoid a 50/50 breakup of any surfaces. We want to have a substantial weightiness in the body, but balanced in ratio to the greenhouse.”

The rear lighting signature is less interesting than the front save for a pair of tail lights embedded in the rooftop spoiler that reference the afterburner’s of a fighter jet. “The lights have choreographed sequences, which you can change using the software. One of the goals later on is to offer customisable sequences,” says Duerr.

The interior design is relatively simple and is stronger for it. “We were looking for quiet luxury,” explains Duerr. “You will not see many buttons, we wanted to declutter things so most of the functions are integrated into the steering wheel and the 24.4 inch dual panel display.”

Important functions like the air conditioning and drive mode selector are located on three jewel-like dials just above the centre console. Ditto, the seat adjustment is located on the doors: “We have this craftsmanship feel that we really want to play up so they are big and bold.” The console itself is mounted quite high up in the cabin and connected to the IP “to give a sporty feeling.”

Duerr continues. “I referenced the fighter jet for the exterior but with the interior you want a relaxing, self-confident feeling,” he says, pointing to the assured sweep of the IP. The team moved the shifter to the indicator stalks, clearing space on the centre console for extensive storage. The dual screen, nicely integrated into the IP rather than the portrait style bolt-on favoured by Tesla et al, is complimented by a heads-up display.

Materials-wise, Duerr and his team have opted for synthetic leather, which, from a traditional point of view, runs counter to what the European market expects from higher-end products. One wonders how the material will age. That said, the team has worked with the material cleverly, introducing a stitching pattern that gently curves and intersects.

That said, the Omoda 9 is a very relaxing place to be with the central console and cockpit cocooning the driver and passenger from the world outside. On the road, it feels nimble, quick even, thanks to the amount of power coming from the hybrid engine. In a brief, but enjoyable test drive, the Omoda 9 took off like a scalded cat when called upon for a burst of acceleration. Though that alacrity does depend greatly on which of the 9 driving modes is selected.

The head-up display is useful and the screen-based element of the UX seems, on this admittedly limited evidence, to respond well to CDN’s various swipes and jabs. There is just one trim level, which has all the whistles and bells required, but is it premium? Well, very nearly. And given the price the Omoda 9 will come in at, under 45 grand, that will be more than good enough for the vast majority of consumers.