Today at its HQ in Wuhu, China, Omoda pulled the wraps off the C3 crossover, giving the world its first official look at a vehicle designed to blur the lines between automotive design and digital lifestyle. With a global launch set for October 2025, this radical new model represents Omoda’s boldest play yet for the youth market, and it’s clear they’re rewriting the rulebook.
Designed by a team with an average age of just 28, the C3 represents a bold new direction for automotive design, one that blends gaming culture, futuristic aesthetics, and self-expression into a single package.
A Youthful Vision Comes to Life
At first glance of the Omoda C3, you might see a hint of the Lamborghini Urus. That’s what most other media noticed as well, as I overheard them mention the Urus in their video scripts. Normally, we would call that referencing, but Roy Xie, Omoda C3 Brand Director, explained the inspiration for the Omoda 3’s design.
The team behind it infused the vehicle with what they call “Mecha DNA,” a robot-inspired aesthetic. Sharp angles, aggressive front-end styling, and an “Aero-blade” profile give the C3 a look that’s more sci-fi concept car than traditional crossover. Stellar Blue is the colour of the C3 on display with gloss black roof and pillars.
The front gets a split headlight design with the LED running lights integrated into the body, while the low and high beams sit in the bumper. There’s a large gaping recess in the bumper finished in gloss black.
Around the side, the angular design continues on the side mirror housing, with flush door handles completing the sleek look. At the bottom, there’s a trim with a stone-like finish and 19-inch rims. The shoulder line tapers as it reaches the rear, giving the car these muscular haunches that are striking and sporty.
At the back, it’s surprisingly clean with restrained angular lines. A light bar runs across the tailgate. The rear bumper is also finished in gloss black, and there’s no tailpipe in sight despite this being an ICE vehicle as denoted by the C3 badge.
A command centre for the interior
We weren’t allowed to see the inside of the Omoda C3 in person, so our only point of visualisation is the presentation slides. So expect the inside to be like a “Starship Cockpit”, reinforcing the mecha theme, with dynamic ambient lighting. There will be a massive information display as well as a digital instrument cluster.
The geeks over at Omoda have taken the time to design the UI to match the sci-fi mecha theme. This covers both the instrument cluster and infotainment system. Despite the futuristic direction of the design, you’ll still find capacitive touch buttons in this car, which are located on the carbon fibre centre console, according to the picture.
What’s more intriguing is the Lamborghini-fighter jet-mecha inspired flip cover for the push start button. Overall, the layout feels more like a gaming rig than a traditional dashboard. Even the seats are called Starship Commander Seats.
Gaming Takes the Passenger Seat—Literally
One of the most surprising reveals was the Omoda C3’s built-in Nintendo Switch integration. A dedicated docking space beneath the centre console ensures secure storage for the console, complete with USB-C power delivery and a standard 3-pin outlet.
This isn’t just an afterthought—it’s a fully engineered solution, making the C3 the first production car designed from the ground up to accommodate a gaming console. But with the Switch 2 just around the corner, we don’t know if it can support other game consoles, so we’ll have to wait and see.
Omdoa calls this its “E-Sports Ecosystem,” hinting at deeper software integrations that could be unveiled later. Roy Xie also said that the car will come with a dedicated gaming platform with support for gaming controllers.
Customisation Straight from the Factory
Omoda is pushing personalisation further than most mainstream automakers with the C3. You will have access to factory-backed upgrades, including an Official Racing Package (likely featuring suspension tweaks, aerodynamic enhancements, and performance tuning) and limited-edition Theme Paint Schemes—possibly in collaboration with artists or gaming brands.
Now, this Theme Paint Schemes had me scratching my head on the implementation. Do you have to buy a new car when a new theme drops? Can you send your car in to get it resprayed with the new theme? If yes, can you revert to the previous theme, and how much will it cost since you already paid for the theme?
I guess the answer right now is to wait for October 2025.
The Mysteries Still to Be Solved
While the presentation confirmed some exciting features, Omoda kept key details under wraps. The model shown on stage was using a petrol-powered engine. But with the push to electrification, will there be an EV variant or an electric hybrid variant?
We also don’t know the performance figures and power output of the petrol engine model. More importantly, with so much engineering and thought gone into creating this model, how much will it cost, and will it be available in Malaysia? Should the Proton X50 be afraid?
The full picture won’t emerge until October 2025, but one thing’s certain: the Omoda C3 is coming to make a statement. Will it resonate? We’ll find out soon enough.
