Chery's dual-brand OMODA & JAECOO has surpassed 1.4 million cumulative global sales in just three and a half years, with Europe contributing nearly half of that volume, according to PCauto. The milestone underscores a strategy that inverts the traditional Chinese auto export playbook: instead of building a domestic brand first and then taking it abroad, OMODA & JAECOO was designed from day one for global young consumers.
Europe leads, UK shines
In September 2026, the two brands sold 73,421 vehicles worldwide, a 123% year-on-year increase. Europe accounted for close to half of all sales, and in the UK, JAECOO 7 became the country's best-selling model, pushing the brand to second place overall in the UK market for the month. The brands now operate in 79 markets.
OMODA targets the crossover segment with a cyber-mecha, geometric aesthetic aimed at Gen Z urbanites, while JAECOO focuses on "refined off-roading" for consumers who want both city polish and weekend adventure. The two brands share a common vision—"co-creating a better life with young people"—but maintain separate identities, styling, and user activities.
"Most Chinese brands are still thinking about how to sell cars; O&J is thinking about how to make young people around the world see the car as part of their lives," the report notes.
Brand before product
The article highlights OMODA & JAECOO's "anti-conventional" approach: rather than following the sequence of product, channel, brand, and then user, the company started with a user profile, built cultural consensus, established dual-brand narratives, and only then developed products to serve that lifestyle. User co-creation is central—the brand name was chosen by user vote, the first model's core design was opened to user input, and a pet-friendly model came from a Polish user's comment that "pets are family."
The brands have embedded themselves in youth culture through partnerships with London Fashion Week, the VALORANT European Masters esports tournament, and music festivals like Mad Cool in Madrid and Lollapalooza in Chile. They also became the first official automotive partner of European professional rugby (EPCR) and title sponsor of the Premier 15s women's rugby league.
At the OMODA X Night event on October 20, held at the Wuhu Old Shipyard 1900 venue, the global debut of the OMODA X took a back seat to a broader celebration of brand culture, featuring Miss World contestants, a Kantar researcher discussing why Gen Z no longer obsesses over specs, and three owners sharing their customization stories.
PCauto's analysis suggests that the real value of OMODA & JAECOO's three-and-a-half-year sprint is not just the sales number, but proof that global young consumers are responding to brands that can speak their language—not just to the label "Chinese car."
