Chery is pumped up for its return down under as the marque prepares for its 23 March 2023 Australian relaunch. Spearheading their portfolio will be the Chery Omoda 5 compact SUV that will be sold at 40 dealers and be tagged with a seven-year warranty and aftercare bundle.

Their antipodean executives did hint that pricing for the dual-model range comprising the Omoda 5 and Omoda 5 EX will sit between $ 30,000 (~RM 90,400) to $ 40,000 (~RM 120,000) but stopped short of revealing the exact figures. The full pricing will be announced at the launch, according to a report by Go Auto during a preview for journalists in Sydney recently.

A sole 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine brings 156 PS and 230 Nm of torque for the front wheels via a CVT. However, expect the punchier Omoda 5 EX+ to arrive in the second half of the year in 1.6 turbo and EX+ 1.6 turbo AWD trim with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic.

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The arrival of the more power Omoda 5 should coincide with the launch of the Tiggo 7 Pro 5-seat mid-size SUV and 7-seat Tiggo 8 Pro large SUV in the continent as well. Following that, battery electric versions of the Omoda 5 will arrive there in the first half of 2024.

Standard equipment includes dual 10.25-inch borderless touchscreens, dual wireless phone chargers and wireless Apple CarPlay. Even the Base Omoda 5 is impressive, with 18-inch alloy wheels, 6-way power adjustment for the driver’s seat, front sports seats, synthetic leather upholstery, keyless entry and start (remote start up to 30 metres), auto LED headlights, high-beam assist and LED taillights.

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Stepping up the Omoda 5 EX adds a power sunroof, powered tailgate, 360-degree camera, 4-way powered front passenger seat adjustment, front seat and steering wheel heating, red brake calipers, illuminated vanity mirrors, exterior LED welcome lights and second-row ambient lighting to the mix.

Though yet untested by ANCAP, the Omoda 5 did score a 5-star rating under Euro NCAP in left-hand drive guise. Chery foreshadows the 16 active driving safety features and seven airbags to deliver and equal score under ANCAP when tested.

Also Read: Chery Omoda 5: Confirmed for Malaysia even before going on sale in China, we're getting the latest model

Chery is truly taking the fight to their competitors by matching key players such as MG, Haval and Kia with a 7-year, unlimited-mileage warranty together with 7 years of capped price servicing and roadside assist if all warranty maintenance is undertaken at official Chery dealerships.

To further push sales, Chery Finance product; underwritten by Branded Financial Services, can be accessed by customers on a self-serve basis online or at dealerships.

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Taking a bold step out of the norm, Chery Australia has chosen to reveal its sales projection for the year, eyeing an 8.0 percent market share in each segment it contends in. That would translate into roughly 10,000 units of the Omoda 5, placing in the top tier of small SUVs over there.

The Omoda 5 will be throwing its hat into a tightly contested ring that includes the following:

• Haval Jolion
• Hyundai Kona
• Kia Seltos
• Mazda CX-30
• Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
• Toyota C-HR
• Volkswagen T-Roc

Order books have just opened though Chery Australia will be stocking up the Omoda 5 in the “four-figure” range prior to the launch to avoid supply problems in the near future.

As the launch date approaches, Chery Australia has been continuously testing the Omoda 5 in the country for about a year to evaluate if features such as traffic sign recognition functioning as intended with the local signage.

For now, everything is working like a well-oiled machine with no market tuning or development necessary although they didn’t rule that out for the future.