Omoda’s new flagship SUV is a big hit in South Africa – The numbers

The new Omoda C9 has been positively received by the South African public, as evidenced by its recent sales figures.

The company launched its flagship SUV in mid-October 2024, which has since gone on to sell a total of 220 units to date.

That’s an average of 88 units per month over the past two and a half months it’s been available – not bad for a R785,900 SUV from a relatively unknown brand.

The C9 is the second car introduced by Omoda since the brand first touched down in South Africa in April 2023.

In contrast to the C5, which is a mid-range crossover with prices starting at just R329,900, the C9 is a luxury midsize SUV that Omoda plans to use to compete with the likes of the BMW X3, Audi Q5, and Mercedes-Benz GLC.

It’s admittedly an ambitious goal, given that brand favouritism goes a long way in this segment, but the C9’s drastically lower price tag gives it a distinct advantage in this regard.

For perspective, the next-gen X3 costs at least R1,136,417, while the Q5 and GLC go for R1,018,200 and R1,264,947, respectively.

This means the C9 is anywhere from R232,300 to R479,047 cheaper than its legacy rivals while matching them in terms of performance and equipment.

While Chinese automakers have been primarily focused on cornering the affordable end of the market up till this point, models like the new Omoda are a sign that these companies are starting to set their sights on other income brackets as well.

When the vehicle in question is nearly half a million rand cheaper than its contemporaries, people will start to ask whether its worth paying that much more for a particular emblem on the bonnet.

Redefining luxury in more ways than one

The C9 is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which produces a healthy 197kW and 400Nm.

This is paired with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, which connects to either the front or all four wheels, depending on the derivative.

It also comes with driving modes for Normal, Eco, and Sport, and the all-wheel-drive units additionally have access to settings for Snow, Mud, Sand, and Off-road.

Standard kit on the Omoda includes automatic LED headlights, daytime running lights, flush door handles, 20-inch alloy wheels, red brake calipers, and keyless entry and start, a leather multifunction steering wheel, electric front seats, leather upholstery, ambient lighting, a panoramic sunroof, a wireless charger, dual-zone climate control with rear vents, a fragrance system, ventilated front seats, and heated seats for both the front and back row.

It also has a heads-up display, two 12.3-inch screens with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, and an eight-speaker Sony sound system.

Furthermore, the premium SUV comes with an driver asssitance suite with adaptive cruise control, traffic jam assist, autonomous emergency braking, forward and rear-collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot detection, door-opening warning, lane-keep assist, adaptive headlights, parking sensors, and a 540-degree camera.

Each purchase includes a 7-year/200,000km warranty, a 7-year/100,000km service plan, and an additional 10-year/1-million kilometre engine warranty.