Chery made a return to Malaysia with a huge fanfare last week by launching two new vehicles including the Omoda 5 and Tiggo 8 Pro. While both models were still powered by traditional internal combustion engines (ICE), the brand is already looking into the electric era and has since confirmed its plan to release the fully electric version of Omoda 5 in Malaysia next year.
Also known as the Omoda C5 EV or Omoda 5 e-QUA, the all-electric variant features a different styling when compared to its ICE-based counterpart. The most obvious difference would be the EV’s fully-closed front end which is a far departure from Omoda 5’s signature diamond matrix grille.
The electric SUV has yet to enter mass production, but some of its specifications were revealed back in April during an event at the brand’s headquarters in China. For starters, the new model will be equipped with a 165kW (224hp) electric motor and can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in under 7.8 seconds.
To be powered by a 61kWh battery pack, Chery also said that the Omoda 5 EV can achieve up to 450km of range on a single charge with a power efficiency of 15kWh per 100km. However, the company did not mention which testing standard the figure is based on, although it is likely skewed towards the CLTC standard since the event took place in China.
Aside from that, Chery also claimed that it takes around 35 minutes for the battery to reach an 80% state of charge through DC fast charging. No mention of pricing so far, but since it is slated to arrive in Malaysia next year, this means the company will still be able to take advantage of the exemption on import and excise duties as well as road tax for the Omoda 5 EV.
On a related note, the Minister of Investment, Trade & Industry Tengku Zafrul Aziz has said during the launch of Omoda 5 and Tiggo 8 Pro that Chery aims to capture around 20% of EV market share in Malaysia. That is a bold target indeed and it will be interesting to see how Chery is going to achieve that, especially since BYD already has a massive headstart with Atto 3, which is currently the most popular EV in Malaysia.
