In advance of its planned launch the following year, Chery Malaysia today gave a press preview of the Omoda E5 EV. The preview event disclosed several more details about the Malaysia-bound vehicle, even though its global specs were already made public earlier this year.

The Chery Omoda E5's design mostly mirrors that of its gasoline-powered sibling, with a few subtle changes to emphasize its electric drivetrain. The most noticeable modifications are up front, where there is a new charging outlet that, according to Chery, makes charging easier because consumers won't have to worry about parking their car in the correct spot. The front fascia also has been changed, eliminating the central intake grille.





Additional exterior design modifications include new, aerodynamically-focused 18-inch wheels and sophisticated front bumpers with automated cooling shutters.

The Chery Omoda E5's interior has also had an electric makeover, with the revised dashboard substituting touch-screen control for the touch-panel climate control panel. The conventional gear lever has been removed from the center console, which has also been rebuilt with a flatter shape to accommodate a tiny bank of buttons.




Now, a curved panel on the scalloped region houses the two 10.25-inch screens, which are emphasized by high-gloss lacquered wood-like accents. According to Chery, a new Qualcomm 8155 chip powers the vehicle today, promising improved performance, especially with the screens. Our brief experience with the vehicle during the media preview event suggests that the software has also been updated with a more complex and opulent-looking package.

The front axle of the Chery Omoda 5E will be driven by a single motor that has a rated output of 150 kW (204 horsepower). According to Chery, driving a vehicle with an oil-cooled "flat wire motor" is now much quieter and should also guarantee a longer service life.




Based on the WLTP test cycle (14.5 kWh/100 km average power consumption), a 61 kWh blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack can supply up to 430 km of range. The exterior ports of the Chery Omoda 5E can produce up to 3.3 kW of power, enabling Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) capabilities.

The Chery Omoda E5 delivers impressive performance, taking less than 7.6 seconds to accelerate from a standstill to 100 km/h. For added convenience while driving, there is a single-pedal drive mode as well. With DC fast charging, the forthcoming Chery Omoda 5E can be charged with up to 80 kW of power—allowing for a 30-80% charge in less than 30 minutes—or 9.9 kW of AC power.




Along with the "ADAS 2.5" advanced driving assistance kit, the Chery Omoda 5E will also have a driver monitoring system, which elevates the vehicle above the standard Omoda 5 model and is visible through a new sensor situated atop the steering column and column.

Pricing details are still pending, but we do know that it will initially only be available in one version, with an official launch date of March 2024. The car that was shown today is still a pre-production model; order taking should start in January 2024, when the final production model lands in Malaysia.





It won't take much guesswork to determine which EV the Chery representative was referring to when they stated that the Omoda E5 will be priced competitively with its competitors in the category on the fringes of the media preview event!