The new Chinese SUV launching in South Africa very soon – Photos

The Omoda C7 SHS is set to make its South African debut any day now.

Omoda and Jaecoo (O&J) recently confirmed that three cars are coming to our market in the near future, comprising the Omoda C7 SHS, Omoda C5 HEV, and Jaecoo J5 BEV.

While none of these cars have been given an official release date, the C7 appears to be the first model in the pipeline, making its public debut at the 2025 Hollywoodbets Durban July event.

Additionally, the Chinese carmaker has started to place models on display in shopping centres like the Mall of Africa, heavily implying that its release date is right around the corner.

All of this lines up with previous information provided by Omoda, which indicated that the SUV would arrive in the third quarter of the year.

What to expect

As its name implies, the C7 is a mid-range SUV that will slot between the C5 and C9 when it goes on sale in South Africa.

The SHS designation stands for “Super Hybrid System,” meaning that the C7 will be the second electrified model in Omoda’s catalogue after the C9 SHS.

The SHS is a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) that combines a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor to produce a combined 255kW and 525Nm.

The e-motor is powered by an 18.3kWh battery, which affords an all-electric driving range of up to 105km.

This should be more that enough for most trips around town, allowing owners to drastically cut down on their fuel consumption.

Charging the battery can be done with a 40kW DC outlet, which can replenish the cells from 30 to 80% in just 20 minutes.

Assuming both the petrol tank and the battery are topped up, the SUV has a maximum driving range of 1,200km, according to the manufacturer.

Omoda has yet to reveal the C7’s local spec sheet, but TopAuto previously had the opportunity to preview the vehicle on a trip to China.

Based on our first impressions, the SUV has a generous amount of kit that includes a few party tricks.

You can expect a set of large alloy wheels, as well as a pair of slim LED headlights that flank the distinctive hexagon-pattern nose.

At the back, there are two lightning bolt-shaped taillamps that run across the boot door.

The interior has a modern, minimalistic appearance that uses a two-tone black-and-white colour scheme for the seats, door trim, steering wheel, and dashboard.

There’s a large centre console with a lower storage shelf, sealable cupholder tray, armrest, storage bin, and two wireless charging pads.

Other touted features include heated and ventilated seats with electronic adjustment, a 12-speaker Sony stereo, dual-zone climate control, a digital driver display, and an Advanced Driver Assistance Software (ADAS) suite with parking sensors, a 540-degree camera, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, intelligent speed limit control, lane-keep and lane-change assist, door opening warning, blind-spot detection, and forward cross-traffic alert.

Arguably, its most unique attribute, however, is the massive 15.6-inch floating infotainment screen, which can slide along the dashboard to position itself in front of the passenger.

This is because the C7 is equipped with onboard video games, which can be played on the touchscreen using Omoda-branded controllers similar to those used by Sony and Microsoft’s gaming consoles.

It’s unclear whether this feature will be enabled for our market, but it would undoubtedly be a neat trick to show off to new passengers.

The company has not disclosed the pricing or model selection for the C7, but it will presumably slot somewhere between the range-topping C5 and the C9 SHS.

As a reference, the C5 Elegance X retails for R465,900 while the C9 SHS goes for R999,000, and the C7 will undoubtedly be closer to the latter since it has a similar hybrid powertrain, but we’ll have to wait until release to know for certain.

Omoda C7 preview in China