Chery on top? Omoda E5 SUV mid-year launch leads Chinese brand’s expansive Aussie electric vehicle line-up
The ambitious Chinese Chery brand will launch its first electric vehicle in Australia when the Omoda E5 SUV arrives mid-year.
While no pricing has been announced, it would be logical to suggest it would be priced above the Omoda 5 ICE range that tops out at $41,490 drive-away.
Chery has confirmed there will be two E5 specifications – Standard and Premium.
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Both will be powered by a single electric motor that produces 150kW and 340Nm, leading to a claimed 0-100km acceleration time of 7.6 seconds.
Claimed consumption is 15.5kWh/100km and the WLTP-rated range is 430km. A 61kWh lithium-ion battery pack provides the juice.
Standard equipment includes a 12.3-inch curved screen, a panoramic sunroof, and a digital instrument cluster.
Logical opposition for the Chery Omoda E5 will be led by rivals from China, the BYD Atto 3 and MG ZS EV.
However, Chery has in the past told Aussie media it has targeted the Hyundai Kona Electric as the rival to beat.
“We benchmark against e-Kona,” Charlie Zhang, the executive vice-president of Chery International, said in 2022.
“We believe all the key parameters indicate that our Omoda BEV will be much, much better in terms of endurance, mileage, the electricity consumption, all those types of things.”
The Omoda E5 is based on the same Chery T1X modular platform as the ICE Omoda 5. Other Chery EV models will spin off this platform.
But Chery is also developing models on three new platforms: E0X for electric passengers vehicles including SUVs; C0X for electric light commercial vehicles and T2X, a platform for medium and large SUVs with orthodox and hybrid powertrains.
These new platforms are intended to produce 18 battery-electric vehicles and five hybrids in the coming years.
Chery withdrew from Australia after an unsuccessful partnership with importer Ateco Automotive between 2011 and 2016 and relaunched with the Omoda 5 in early 2023.
It has since launched the Tiggo 7 Pro and will soon follow up with the Tiggo 8 Pro Max. The two SUVs are both ICE-powered.
Chery is targeting 30,000 sales in Australia by 2024, 45,000 by 2026 and 75,000 per annum by 2027 to cement itself as a top 10 player.
