Lilian Xiong (Omoda): ‘It doesn't matter whether we manufacture in China or Spain in our quality standard for Europe’

Lilian Xiong, Vice President of Omoda Spain and Michael Duerr, Director of Interior Design at Chery International, spoke to AutoRevista at the recent edition of Automobile Barcelona, held from 9 to 18 May at Fira de Barcelona. Information by Luis Miguel González.

Lea esta entrevista en castellano.

AutoRevista,- You have recently launched two models that seem to be key in Omoda&Jaecoo's strategy, what new step do you expect to take with them?

Lilian Xiong: The Omoda 9 is a flagship model for the brand, with a very premium design, a very special front and rear end. The body line is very dynamic and the interior is very good. I think it is at the cutting edge of PHEV technology. It offers more than 1,000 kilometres of range and the driving experience is also very good. European customers care a lot about the design and the driving experience. This product is aimed at developing a global brand.

As for the Jaecoo 5, it is both stylish and off-road. Being smaller than the Jaecoo 7, it will be more suitable for expansion into new markets, where we expect it to have a high level of popularity. From the engineering side of manufacturing, we are working hard to meet European requirements and, of course, their safety standards such as the five-star EuroNCAP rating.

Michael Duerr: Regarding the interiors, we have learned a lot from Chinese interior design. It is very calm, close to harmony. It has been the case that Chinese OEMs were overloading the interiors with a lot of technology, a lot of screens, and some of them still do. But I'm happy that Chery is not doing it. On the contrary, it is going for a nice integration of devices and interiors that are very intuitive for the driver.

Regarding sustainability, we are looking for materials that are genuine or sustainable materials derived from plants. And we do this without solutions with some input of plant material with chemical additives so that it doesn't decompose.

AR.- In a few months, Omoda models will be assembled in Spain. Is there a transfer of industrial practices from China to Spain?

L.X.- I don't think it doesn't matter whether the manufacturing is done in China or in Spain, because the factory will maintain a standard level of quality. The Ebro factory has qualified professionals to maintain an even higher level of quality in the European markets.

AR.- How does the collaboration between Chery's R&D centres in China and Europe, in Germany, take shape?

M.D.- We collaborate on all kinds of projects all the time. We choose the best elements of each idea and put them together.  The Omoda 9 is an example of the close and intense collaboration between the Wuhu and Frankfurt centres.

AR: Do you think your strategy can make a difference in the market with super hybrid technology?

L.X.- We have a very strong technology in hybrid models. Yes, we are talking about super hybrid with 400 kHW, which means more than 500 HP, so it is very powerful.  Omoda 5, on the other hand, has one engine plus three electric motors combined.  We can be disruptive in the European market and, in addition, we have the CTC system that picks up the road conditions and reacts every second to adjust the chassis and maintain comfort.

M.D.- The strategy is to give more content for the money the customer pays. The customer compares what he gets from a brand and what he gets from its competitors. If the objective is to be cheaper, the customer's perception is that of a cheap brand and Omoda and Jaecoo will offer more content for the price the customer pays.

L.X.- In addition, we have different products to cover different price segments. The entry level is represented by Omoda 3, followed by 5, 7 and 9, as well as Jaecoo.