Jaecoo — Chery's SUV Brand Built for Export Markets

Jaecoo at a glance

Why Chery created Jaecoo

Chery, founded by the city of Wuhu as a state-owned company in 1997, has been the largest exporter of Chinese-brand passenger cars for most years since 2003. Its exports rose from 451,337 in 2022 to 1,144,588 in 2024. To grow abroad it built separate brands for foreign markets. Omoda came first in 2022 with crossovers and saloons, and Jaecoo followed in April 2023 to sell SUVs. Both were presented together in Wuhu that month, and both are sold only outside China. In many countries they share showrooms under the "Omoda & Jaecoo" or "O&J" name. Chery set up Anhui Omoda Jaecoo Automobile Co., Ltd. as their sales company in April 2023.

The two brands also share their leadership, with Shawn Xu as chief executive, and a target of 1,400,000 sales a year outside China by 2030. Omoda's own models are listed in the Omoda catalogue.

The Jaecoo 7 and its Chinese twin

The Jaecoo 7, also called J7, appeared in April 2023 as a rebadged Chery Tansuo 06 (Explore 06). The Chinese car had been shown as the Chery TJ-1 C-DM prototype at Auto Shanghai 2023 and went on sale in China in August 2023. Both are built on Chery's T1X platform. The petrol version uses a 1.6-litre turbo four with 145 kW (197 PS) and 290 Nm, a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and optional all-wheel drive.

The plug-in hybrid, sold by Jaecoo as SHS, pairs a 1.5-litre turbo engine of 115 kW (156 PS) with a 150 kW electric motor. The combined output is 255 kW (347 PS) and 525 Nm. Its 18.32 kWh LFP battery comes from FinDreams. The Wikipedia infobox gives an electric range of 88 km on the WLTP cycle. The text gives 120 km. The total range is put at more than 1,400 km. The model and its versions are covered in the Jaecoo 7 SHS guide.

Safety ratings

Euro NCAP tested the Jaecoo 7 plug-in hybrid in Exclusive trim and published a five-star rating on 9 April 2025. It scored 81% for adult occupants, 80% for child occupants, 80% for vulnerable road users and 80% for safety assist. The test also found problems: a side curtain airbag did not deploy properly because a clip had not been fitted in production, which led to a penalty in both side impacts. The child-presence detection system did not meet Euro NCAP's requirements. The rating covers the Select and Exclusive plug-in hybrids in left- and right-hand drive.

ANCAP gave the J7 plug-in hybrid five stars for Australia and New Zealand in 2025, with 81% for adult occupants, 85% for children, 80% for vulnerable road users and 84% for safety assist. The petrol versions are unrated, and the rating runs until December 2031. Other safe family SUVs are compared among the safest cars.

From Malaysia to Britain

Jaecoo's rollout began in Southeast Asia. The brand made its debut in Malaysia in December 2023, the first locally assembled J7 left the Shah Alam plant in June 2024, and sales started in July 2024. Thailand followed in March 2024, alongside Omoda. In 2024 Jaecoo also expanded into Western Europe, the Middle East, South Africa and Chile. Italy launched the J7 in July 2024 with 49 dealers, and Spain also opened in 2024. In January and February 2026 Spanish registrations reached 1,318, 38% more than a year earlier, with the J7 plug-in hybrid in the lead.

In Britain, J7 orders opened in January 2025 through the Omoda and Jaecoo dealer network, and Jaecoo registered 28,232 new cars in 2025. Of all J7 buyers, 70% chose the plug-in hybrid. Indonesia followed with a brand launch on 20 January 2025, New Zealand in late April 2025 and Australia in May 2025, with an eight-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. In Pakistan Jaecoo entered the market in August 2025 through Nishat Automobile, with assembly in Faisalabad. In Britain the brand was named Carwow Brand of the Year for 2026.

J8, J6 and J5

The range has grown beyond the J7. The J8, based on the Chery Tiggo 9, was unveiled in April 2023 as the Jaecoo 9 and later renamed. A plug-in hybrid J8 SHS ARDIS had its world premiere in Indonesia in July 2025. The J6, introduced in April 2024, is a rebadged version of the electric iCar 03 from Chery's iCar brand; bookings opened in Thailand in August 2024. The smaller J5 was previewed in October 2024, and the J5 EV made its debut in Indonesia in February 2025. The J5 reached Britain in 2026 with an electric version called E5.

Together, Omoda and Jaecoo passed 600,000 sales in August 2025, 27 months after their launch, and more than one million by April 2026. Jaecoo models on 1cars are listed in the Jaecoo catalogue, and rival family hybrids appear among the best plug-in hybrid SUVs.

Jaecoo timeline

Landmark Jaecoo models

Photo gallery