New offroad brand Jaecoo is to make its official European public debut at this month’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Pre-orders for the Jaecoo 7 SUV are open now

The carmaker, a sub-brand of Chinese automotive giant Chery, will display its Jaecoo 7 SUV alongside models from sister brand Omoda within The Grid exhibition area, as well as within Goodwood’s First Glance Paddock.

Open for orders from the autumn, the Jaecoo 7 is said to combine “exceptional four-wheel-drive performance, world-class safety features and forward-thinking, intelligent technologies”.

It arrives first in petrol guise, featuring a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and front- or four-wheel drive variants. Plug-in hybrid and all-electric versions will follow.

The SUV is designed to perform both on- and off-road and comes with seven driving modes, including Sand, Mud, Snow and Off-Road settings. The Jaecoo 7 also features a 600mm wading depth, and approach and departure angles rated at 21 and 29 degrees respectively, with a maximum breakover angle of 200mm. An Integrated Power Brake (IPB) system simulates a differential lock but with enhanced and faster locking capability.

The cabin comes with a 14.8-inch touchscreen alongside a 10.25-inch driver’s display and a head-up display. Multi-colour interior lighting options, 50W wireless mobile phone charging, an eight-speaker Sony audio system, a panoramic roof, and a full suite of ADAS safety technologies are also included.

The Jaecoo brand name is taken from the German word ‘Jäger’ (meaning ‘hunter’) and the English word ‘cool’, fused together in a move reflect its suitability for all environments.

Chery, which lays claim to being China’s number one vehicle exporter for over 20 years, is also bringing its Omoda brand to the UK with its 5 and E5 compact SUVs.

The brand launches are being supported by a financial services partnership with BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK and Arval UK. BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK will provide consumer finance, and Arval UK will offer fleet and contract management services.

The initial UK rollout is also being aided by more than 70 jointly branded and franchised dealer sites, set to increase to 100 by the end of the year and including some of the UK’s largest dealer groups, such as Allen Motor Group, Arnold Clark, Cambria, Chapelhouse, Endeavour, Greenhous, Hartwell, Listers, Perrys, Peter Vardy and Vospers.

Pre-reservations for the Jaecoo 7 are open now, with dealers taking refundable deposits, giving customers a priority place when prices are announced. Order books officially open in the autumn and first UK deliveries are expected late 2024.