A returning brand Cherrywhich will hit Australia in the coming months with the Omoda 5 small SUV, says ensuring customers are well looked after will be one of its pillars.
Chery Australia’s marketing director, James Curtis, said launching with warranty coverage that only matched current benchmarks would essentially sell short the brand’s aspirations for its arrival in Australia.
This means rivals such as Kia, SsangYong, MG and GWM will have their standard-setting seven-year warranty plans given notice with Chery’s arrival, according to Mr Curtis, who also acknowledged Mitsubishi’s conditional 10-year warranty plan – which requires owners to service their vehicles with the brand in order to deserve that long protection.
“I can’t give you a specific number [of years of coverage or mileage warranty] – you know where the market is. We will not be worse than the market. No doubt,” said Mr. Curtis.
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Chery Omoda 5
“Warranty is very important in the mind of the consumer, so the warranty for us will be at the level of the competition, if not better. We aim to be the best in the market, that’s where we set the benchmark,” he said.
“It must be at least seven [years] – you see a competitor, it must be at least seven.
“We always look at the market. If it changes tomorrow, we will change the number. It just depends on what it is. For us, warranty is a quality feature of our vehicles. It is not an insurance policy.
“We are very concerned … that our vehicles are reliable and can last that long. With a plus seven, we are really confident that we are in the ballpark,” he said.
Mr. Curtis went on to say that service cannot be overlooked as an important decision point for some buyers. He cites both the affordability of ownership, but also the ease and professionalism with which owners operate, as significant markers for a quality ownership experience.
“Service is a very important part of car ownership, and service is also a very important part of the retail environment. It’s a touch point for the customer, so we have to make sure we get the service intervals right, we have to make sure we have enough stock of parts to be serviceable,” he said.
Mr Curtis, who has a background in logistics and has worked at brands including Toyota, Lexus and Kia, said he wanted to ensure owners would not be left stranded if their cars needed repairs.
“We have over 580 parts lines on order, meaning we can effectively service the car parka about two to three months from launch, with more parts on the way,” he said, and the company later confirmed the first shipment of parts. . arriving at the end of January – ahead of the first arrival of the brand’s launch vehicle, the Omoda 5 SUV, which will hit soon after.
“Where other manufacturers may have problems with parts shortages, I don’t expect that to be the case for us. We plan to make sure it doesn’t happen to us,” he said.
It is understood that the brand is looking for more than 60 distributor locations for its presence across the country at launch.
The Chery Omoda 5 is expected to be offered to the media for first drive impressions in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more.
MORE: 2023 Chery Omoda 5 spotted in Sydney