Omoda and Jaecoo are just two members of a very large and multi-talented automotive family. To give Filipinos a better idea of where these two siblings come from, Omoda and Jaecoo Philippines recently invited us to Wuhu, China to learn more about them.

Omoda and Jaecoo’s parent company is Chery and its headquarters are in Wuhu. The brands under Chery are of course, Chery, Exceed, iCaur, Lepas, Jetour and Omoda and Jaecoo.

Our first stop was Chery’s sprawling manufacturing facility, at the time undergoing upgrades for higher efficiency and better operating cost. Built at the cost of USD 550-million, this 830,000 square meter facility is estimated to produce an output value of USD 12-billion after the planned upgrades. As of this writing, the production line is capable of an annual capacity of 300,000 completely built units (CBU) and 200,000 completely knocked down (CKD) units.

We had a chance to take a quick look in the Welding Workshop. Ninety-seven percent of the work done on this 50,000 square meter floor is automated, with 660 robots and 270 workstations. The tasks of performing movement of panels, application of adhesive and welding of the different sub-assemblies are fully automated, the only human intervention is supervision. It has the capability of assembling stamped panels into a vehicle body in about two hours.

And then we were allowed to see the Final Assembly Shop. This was where all components come together for final assembly. This area is where the painted body and doors are mated with the interior parts like the dashboard, the engine is put in, the under chassis and suspension components are installed, tires are bolted on, fluids added, happening at 164 workstations where it takes two hours and thirty-five minutes for the assembly of one complete vehicle from the first station to the final inspection station, then taken to a short test track. One completed vehicle is driven off the end every minute the plant is operation. The models produced on the day we visited were the Jaecoo J8 and the premium Exceed series.

Our next activity was an introduction to three new models which will make their debut in the Philippines in 2026. We got to test them at Omoda & Jaecoo’s dirt test area in Tuju, just outside of Wuhu. It had been raining overnight so the track turned into a muddy mess with deep ruts, and this would surely make this drive more challenging.

A full Electric variant of this SUV is already being sold in the Philippines, rebadged as the Jaecoo J6, but this variant we were to drive is a new variant, a Range Extended Electric Vehicle (REEV). While not a lot was disclosed about what version will be launched here, it is available in both All Wheel Drive (AWD) or in a Rear Wheel Drive (RWD). We drove the dual-motor AWD which has better off-road capability. Equipped with a generator engine, which Jaecoo calls Golden Range Power, this allows the vehicle to drive at ranges in excess of 1000 kilometers. This gasoline engine has a thermal efficiency of 45.79-percent, its intelligent I-AWD four-wheel drive system features 8+X all-terrain drive modes, derived from Land Rover technology.

The second vehicle we drove was the iCaur V23, a compact SUV, full electric vehicle (BEV). Also available in RWD and AWD, the AWD variant is capable of putting out 208-Hp while the biggest battery option this can have is 82-kWh which could give it a range of over 480-kilometers. It has aggressive approach and departure angles hinting at its capabilities. A highlight in its spacious cabin is the 15.4-inch infotainment touchscreen, 774-liters of cargo space with the second row seats up, its equipped with ADAS and Vehicle-2-Load (V2L) with 3.3 kW output capacity.

Much larger than the V23, is the iCaur V27 REEV SUV. It has retro aesthetics, blended with modern technology, at 5-meters long, it is spacious, it has a dual elongated moon roof, a side swing tailgate, which can be equipped with either a spare tire or “storage bag”. Its generator is a turbocharged 1.5 liter gasoline engine which charges the batteries for its electric motor. Available in RWD and AWD variants, the latter capable of putting out 449-Hp. It has a pure electric range of 200 kilometers and about 1000 kilometers of range with the help of the gasoline generator. its design features make it unmistakably for the outdoors.

Both iCaur V23 and V27 will be rebadged as Jaecoo for the Philippine market. There’s no word yet if the model name will stay the same, and if both RWD and AWD will both be offered.

These three SUV’s made short work of the deep mud ruts. With torque immediately available, a light touch on the accelerator is all you need to get through. The traction control helped distribute enough power to all wheels without getting bogged down, making what would be a technical maneuver quite easy.