{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@type”:”Article”,”image”:”https://car-images.bauersecure.com/wp-images/268688/090-omoda-9-2026-black-noble-side.jpg”,”mainEntityOfPage”:{“@type”:”WebPage”,”@id”:”https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/first-official-pictures/omoda/9-suv-2026-upgrades/”},”url”:”https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/first-official-pictures/omoda/9-suv-2026-upgrades/”,”author”:{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”CJ Hubbard”,”description”:”CJ is a former Associate Editor of CAR, and now runs parent company Bauer Mediau2019s Digital Automotive Hub u2013 the in-house team that provides much of the online content for CAR and sister site Parkers.co.uk as well as helping out with CAR magazine. Heu2019s been writing about cars professionally (if thatu2019s the right word) for nearly two decades, though attempts to hide this fact with an extensive moisturising routine. Rumour has it his first word was u2018caru2019 as well, mind, so his fascination with the topic goes back more than double that length of timeu2026nHis former life at specialist automotive editorial agency Motoring Research means heu2019s also written for the likes of PistonHeads, the Sunday Times, City AM, Auto Express and the Microsoft MSN network, and has appeared in print and on video all over the world. Heu2019s also previously taken a diversion into the world of light commercial vehicles, which means he knows an unhealthy amount about vans and pick-ups, too.nA career starting in 2006 has seen him cover events and create features from all over the globe, including locations as diverse as the Australian Outback, the Arctic Circle, the Omani desert, North and South America, India, China, Thailand and Cuba. An enthusiast and a technologist, he approaches the current quickening evolution of all things automotive with an analytical interest that aims to put the driver first, and feels incredible lucky to be experiencing so many of these changes first hand.nOver this time heu2019s driven everything from city cars to articulated trucks, and almost every type of power-source imaginable. Thereu2019s no steam car in the archive, but as well as petrol, diesel and electric, CJu2019s tried LPG, CNG and several varieties of hydrogen, including rotary and V12 as well fuel cell. Heu2019s daily driven a Lamborghini (tough gig; apparently even tougher to stop mentioning it, several years later), crossed Europe in a van, crashed on track, travelled on and off-road in all kinds of conditions, been kinetically recovered, run out of fuel, and even found himself reported as stolen. In Sweden.nCJu2019s personal four-wheeled back catalogue includes E30 and E34 BMWs, Fords fast and slow, multiple MX-5s, a Saab 900, a Nissan Sunny andu2026 a Vauxhall Cavalier. Having not learnt his lesson spending far too much money ITB-modifying an early Eunos Roadster, heu2019s now burning all his spare cash trying to keep a notoriously unfickle 996 alive. A car he bought largely by accident due to its entirely Nephrite Green interior. As such, heu2019s the very embodiment of why you should do your research before buying a car, rather than afterwards, a perspective that usefully comes across more correctly in his writing than his bank account.nFor cat pictures, random musings, and to see just how green that cabin really is, you can find CJ on Instagram, Threads and possibly Bluesky. Heu2019s also on LinkedIn, but is yet to work our quite why. CJu2019s latest CAR articles are listed below.”,”image”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https://car-assets.bauersecure.com/wp-images/14264/cjhubbard.jpeg”,”caption”:”CJ Hubbard”},”sameAs”:[“https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-hubbard-1a649888/”,”https://x.com/ir_427″,”https://www.instagram.com/ir_427/”],”url”:”https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/author/cj-hubbard/”,”alumniOf”:{“@type”:”EducationalOrganization”,”name”:”MA (Distinction) in Motoring Journalism from Coventry University (2005-2006), BA (First) in American Studies (History) from University of Kent (1998-2002)”},”email”:”cj.hubbard@bauermedia.co.uk”,”jobTitle”:”Head of the Bauer Digital Automotive Hub”,”knowsAbout”:”automotive,road testing,car news,car advice,long-term tests,product testing”,”worksFor”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”CAR magazine”}},”dateModified”:”2026-07-22T11:27:09+01:00″,”datePublished”:”2026-07-22T11:27:09+01:00″,”headline”:”New 2026 Omoda 9 upgrades look perfect for the Bond villain on a budget”,”publisher”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”Bauer Media”,”brand”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”Car Magazine”},”logo”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https://car-assets.bauersecure.com/images/logos/car.200×88.png”}}}
New 2026 Omoda 9 upgrades look perfect for the Bond villain on a budget
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Omoda 9 Black Noble edition leads 2026 upgrades – side -
Omoda 9 Black Noble edition – front
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Omoda 9 Black Noble edition – rear
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Omoda 9 Black Noble edition – interior
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Omoda 9 Black Noble edition – boot with luggage
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Omoda 9 Black Noble edition – dead-on front
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Omoda 9 Black Noble edition – dead-on rear
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2026 Omoda 9 – front, white
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2026 Omoda 9 – rear, white
► Omoda 9 gets chassis upgrades and more
► New Black Noble heads range, with menace
► ‘Enhanced composure’, greater premium feel
Omoda has announced a small round of updates for its flagship plug-in hybrid SUV, the Omoda 9. These are focused on increasing comfort and improving the ’everyday’ experience for buyers but also culminate in a new range-topping Black Noble variant.
And when Omoda describes this as black-on-black, it’s not kidding…
What’s new for the 2026 Omoda 9?
Sticking with the core revisions for a moment, the most significant upgrades are likely to be the ones to the chassis.
Omoda says the suspension has been ‘retuned’, with adjustments to the continuous damping control system that constantly adapts to driver inputs and road conditions ‘in real time’ (we should hope so – not much point if it makes changes the following week) to ‘enhance composure’.
The Omoda 9 is a car we described as ‘almost premium’ when we reviewed it in 2025, but in so doing we did take issue with the choppy ride and unrelenting body roll. Hopefully the above changes mean these issues have been redressed.
At the same time, the ‘steering programme’ has been updated in an effort to ‘maximise driver feel’. We shall see how that works out in due course…
What about under the bonnet?
The only alterations announced to the 443bhp SHS-P plug-in hybrid system are an improved 6.6kW vehicle-to-load functionality – allowing the car to power a wider range of stuff when parked.
No complaints from us about that, as the nine-mode SHS-P with its 4.9sec 0-62mph time, 90-mile electric-only range and 700-mile total range (WLTP) was already one of the car’s standout features.
Any changes on the inside?
New suede headlining and extra electric seat adjustment in the front are intended to boost the premium ambience in the cabin.
The driver now gets eight-way adjustment, the passenger six-way – and both benefit from a new massaging function.
And finally… that Black Noble edition?
Ah, yes. Sitting at the top of the range, this is finished in matte Iced Jasper Black with full brightwork delete: everything that was shiny on the outside is matte black as well. This includes the formerly chrome roof rails and bumper trims, with black alloy wheels as the final touch giving it the full menace.
The inside also gets the black-out treatment, with trim elements and new black suede cloth detailing ‘further reinforcing the darker aesthetic’. We still can’t really see Bruce Wayne going for it, but if you want to worry the neighbours we can think of few better factory choices right now.
What price all this Omoda?
The standard 2026 Omoda 9 costs from £44,995, while the Black Noble retails at £46,495. Both are available for pre-order now ahead of first deliveries in August.
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