Auto Focus 2026: Omoda & Jaecoo Four Electrified SUVs
MANILA — When Omoda & Jaecoo Philippines set up shop at the Auto Focus Pre-Christmas Test Drive Festival 2026, it did not bring one new car to Manila. It brought four — a plug-in hybrid, a hybrid, and two fully electric SUVs — all on one booth at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds, with test drives running from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. through November 15.
The lineup matters. For months, the brand has been adding electrified nameplates to a catalog that only a few months ago held three vehicles. The Auto Focus festival is the latest public proof of that shift — and the clearest sign yet that Omoda and Jaecoo is no longer testing the electric waters.
The four cars on display are the Jaecoo J7 PHEV, the Jaecoo EJ6, the Jaecoo J5 EV, and the Jaecoo J5 HEV. Three of the four are electrically driven; one uses a conventional hybrid. That split — plug-in hybrid, hybrid, battery electric — mirrors how Filipino buyers are actually shopping right now: some want electric range for the daily commute, others want no compromise on long runs, and a growing few want the pure EV experience.
A flagship electric for a market that has moved to SUVs
The EJ6 is the all-electric flagship of the group. Omoda and Jaecoo positions it as the electric SUV for buyers who want performance and capability, not just a city car. Under the skin, the EJ6 pairs a 69.77 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery with a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup. Omoda and Jaecoo claims up to 275 horsepower and 385 newton-meters of torque, enough to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in about 6.5 seconds. The 421 km NEDC range figure is competitive for a compact electric SUV — comparable to the BYD Atto 2 launching in the Philippines, which posts a similar official rating — though Filipinos running EDSA-heavy routes will quickly learn that real-world mixed driving rarely matches the lab cycle. The battery chemistry, in particular, is a smart pick for a tropical climate: lithium iron phosphate cells are more thermally stable than the nickel-heavy packs found in many rivals, and they tolerate heat better (see our cover on the BYD Atto 2).
In the Philippines, where rain and flood water are regular companions, the EJ6 draws attention. Omoda and Jaecoo lists 225 mm of ground clearance and a wading depth of 600 mm, with 19-inch tires — a hard-luck figure compared with rivals that sit at 130–160 mm. In a Manila flood, that 600 mm clearance is the difference between a fast retreat and a tow truck. The cabin carries a 15.6-inch infotainment screen, a 9.2-inch digital cluster, eight-speaker Pioneer audio, ventilated seats, a 50W wireless charger, a panoramic sunroof, and up to 13 driver-assistance features, including a 360-degree HD camera and six airbags.
Priced at ₱1,649,000 for the rear-wheel-drive Premium variant and ₱1,799,000 for the all-wheel-drive Premium, the EJ6 sits in a crowded electric-SUV price band — below the BYD Sealion 7 and Tesla Model Y, above the Nissan Leaf. It is aggressive enough to earn a test drive beyond Metro Manila.
The budget EV, the hybrid, and the plug-in hybrid
The J5 EV is the budget entry. Unveiled at the Philippine International Motor Show and launched in July 2026, it is a five-seat subcompact SUV and carries a single-price strategy: ₱1,399,000 at the Manila showroom and the same price in Cebu. The J5 HEV pairs a petrol engine with an electric motor for stop-and-go traffic and is listed at ₱1,179,000. The J7 PHEV is the newest addition, sitting between the J5 HEV and the EJ6, offering electric-only range for the school run and switchable petrol power for longer trips.
For Metro Manila drivers, the lineup splits cleanly by use case. The J5 EV and EJ6 are the all-electric pair; the J5 HEV and J7 PHEV are the bridge to a first EV. The choice between them is essentially a trade-off between upfront cost, daily driving distance, and how willing a buyer is to plan around a charger.
What the lineup means for the Philippines
Long-distance driving, though, is the weak point. 421 km of NEDC range means roughly 300–320 km of honest mixed driving, and DC fast charging at up to 80 kW is a middle ground. A Manila–Baguio run is doable in one charge, but it costs 30–45 minutes at a charging stop. The lithium iron phosphate battery chemistry, meanwhile, is thermally stable — a genuine plus for the Philippines, where sustained heat and humid stop-and-go are harder on older battery chemistries (see our analysis of AI and battery heat in ai-is-power-hungry-batteries-might-be-the-answer-nobodys-talking-about/).
Charging infrastructure is still the elephant in the room. Fast chargers exist in Ortigas, Bonifacio Global City, and near major malls, but outside Metro Manila the network is thin. That gap is exactly why Omoda and Jaecoo is offering event-only add-ons at Auto Focus: ₱20,000 off the J5 EV, ₱10,000 off the EJ6 and J5 HEV, and ₱5,000 gift certificates for reservations.
Omoda and Jaecoo are not alone. Chinese EV makers have entered the Philippines at pace in 2026 — Li Auto, Dongfeng, GAC, Nissan, and Xpeng have all brought nameplates to the market — and the Auto Focus lineup is part of a wider scramble for the next Filipino buyer (competitor electric SUVs from Dongfeng are detailed in my earlier Dongfeng Mage EV Philippines review). The EJ6 sits in a segment that has shifted decisively toward electric SUVs since 2023, and the four-car show from one brand is a compact map of that shift. Buyers picking a first EV also have the Nissan Primera EV on the table — a plug-in hybrid that softens the commute-versus-range trade-off — with a price that sits close to the EJ6 (see our Nissan Primera EV breakdown).
The Auto Focus showcase is a preview, not a press run. But the message is clear: Omoda and Jaecoo Philippines is no longer testing the electric waters. It is building a full electrified lineup, and the four SUVs on display are the first publicly visible result. For buyers weighing a first EV in the Philippines, the competitive field is crowded (our Deepal S07 review in the Philippines). The Auto Focus showcase is a preview, not a press run.