Target BYD Atto 3! China’s Chery Omoda E5 wants a big slice of the affordable electric SUV action
Give the BYD Atto 3 something to think about!
That’s the task BYD’s rival Chinese brand Chery has set its incoming Omoda E5 electric compact SUV.
On-sale from July, the Omoda E5 will be the first battery electric model brought into Australia by Chery since it launched here in early 2023.
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No pricing has yet been announced for the Omoda E5, but Chery Australia boss Lucas Harris made no bones about the Atto 3 being a target.
“Certainly our intention is to give them a run for their money,” he said of the Atto 3.
“We’ll price it competitively enough that we’ll get more than our fair share [of sales].”
So that suggests a price before on-roads below the $48,011 the popular BYD starts at, but maybe not quite down to the level of the ageing MG ZS EV, which starts at a rock bottom $39,990 drive-away.
“It’s probably going to be in the middle there somewhere,” said Harris, something that could lead to a sub-$50,000 drive-away price tag, popping it in the sweet spot of the EV market.
Harris believes the Omoda E5 could sell many thousands annually in Australia, making it one of the higher-volume EVs on-sale here.
In 2023 BYD sold 11,042 examples of the Atto 3 across its two model grades, making it the third-best selling EV in Australia behind the Tesla Model Y and Model 3.
To the end of March 2024 sales are up 5.8 per cent.
The Omoda E5 is powered by a single 150kW/340Nm electric motor driving the front wheels, making it the performance hero of the growing Omoda range.
Claimed to hit 100km/h in 7.6 seconds, it has a WLTP range of 430km from a 61kWh battery.
Chery will offer two model grades of the E5 – Standard and Premium – each sharing the same battery and motor.
Both get a 12.3-inch curved infotainment screen and panoramic sunroof, with the Premium adding more features and superior finishes.
While the Omoda E5 shares its overall shape and many components with the petrol-fed Omoda 5, it gets a different grille and headlights for a more futuristic look.
Inside, too, the E5 has a fresh centre console, among other detail changes.
One EV first for the Omoda E5 Harris is touting is a full-size spare tyre.
“Having that full-sized spare is going to put people’s mind at ease,” said Harris of the Omoda E5 that’s due in dealerships around July.
“It’s a pretty popular feature which sometimes gets overlooked.”
While most EVs have tyre repair kits, the rival Hyundai Kona Electric gets a space-saver spare while Subaru plans to offer a full-size spare option on its recently-arrived Solterra EV.
