Malaysia might be one of the first markets to receive the Chery Omoda E5 EV.
Chery Malaysia today previewed their all-electric Omoda E5, which is slated for launch here in Q1 2024. The Omoda E5 was shown to us for the first time at the Shanghai Motor Show 2023 earlier this year. This will be the company’s first ever battery electric vehicle and it’s interesting to note that Malaysia will be among the 1st markets in the world to receive it. In fact, it’ll either be Malaysia or Indonesia that gets the first ever right-hand drive model.
The Omoda E5 is essentially a electric version of the Omoda 5 petrol model that’s already in sale in Malaysia for RM108,888-RM118,888. That being said, the differences are much more than just a powertrain swap. The electric model comes with a new grille and front bumper design that essentially closes off the front end save for some vent holes near the bottom.
It’s here that you’ll find the charging port hidden under a remotely operated cover. The new face is a lot more sleek with no chrome in sight. In fact, you don’t even get Chery branding on the front this model as the Wuhu-based brand is shifting the focus to promoting its lifestyle-oriented “Omoda” and “Jaecoo” sub-brands.
The rear bumper has also been changed with the deletion of the exhaust finishers and a repositioning of the foglight strips. Chery branding appears here between the taillights. From the side, you’ll spot new 18″ alloy wheels in a unique shape that looks to be aero-optimised.
Inside, there are new digital menus for battery-related read-outs. The centre tunnel has also been redesigned with more storage space as the gear selector lever is now a stalk on the right side of the steering wheel.
There also seems to be a new light graphic on passenger side of the dashboard and some new controls for what looks to be the charging panel flap (though we could not operate it directly on this pre-production unit).
The Chery Omoda E5 will be fully-imported from China to start, with no plans for CKD operations shared with us. This is Chery’s first ever battery electric vehicle export and the specifications are commendable. A front motor with an output 204PS and 340Nm enables it to complete the century sprint in 7.6 seconds, but more importantly it has an estimated but not confirmed range of 430km from its 61kWh LFP battery. It has a maximum AC Charging speed of 9.9kW and a maximum DC Charging speed of 80kW.
This puts the Chery Omoda E5 up against the BYD Atto 3 Extended Range, which has been the best selling EV in Malaysia for about a year. Chery Malaysia is still finalising the selling price of the car, but we anticipate they’ll be undercutting the BYD Atto 3 by some margin. Personally, I believe they’ll aim for the RM150,000 mark to give themselves some wiggle room for future discounts/promos.
