Following up rather quickly since the brand’s re-emergence in our country, the fully-imported (CBU China) Chery Omoda E5 battery electric vehicle (BEV) has just been previewed in Malaysia, ahead of its proposed Q1 2024 launch.

The model will join the ranks as the camaker’s third offering here, behind last year’s petrol-engined Omoda 5 and Tiggo 8 combustion-engine SUVs. On with the details then!

Chery Omoda 5 specs in Malaysia

Most of the exterior looks pretty similar to the regular Omoda 5 (not quite a bad thing, it’s a looker), save for the EV touches – a face devoid of a grille and a set of aero-aiding flat-faced 18-inch wheels.

Exterior trimmings include automatic LED headlights, the cool lightbar ‘round the back, and a trick adaptive front grille that opens or closes depending on the car's temperature needs.

Also read: Review: Chery Omoda 5 in Malaysia - Bang-for-buck hero does its best to exorcise ghosts of Chery's past

Inside the Omoda 5 EV, its interior is just as richly-equipped: two 12.3-inch screens (one for the digital instrument cluster, the other for the infotainment), leather seats with electric adjustments for both driver and front passenger, as well as dual-zone automatic climate control.

The infotainment system is powered by Qualcomm's 7nm 8155 chipset, which promises snappy response, and high-speed connectivity options (USB 3.0, Gigabit-capable internet, for example).

Keen eyes however will notice the central tunnel has been redesigned, and where there were two vacant spots (for the wireless charger and a key rest) back in the petrol-only cars, it becomes two covered storage spaces here – which fixes one of our concerns back then.

No more shift lever too. The style now are shift-by-wire buttons by the steering wheel for gear selection, as well as a bunch more buttons for other car controls.

Connectivity is served by Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and like the rest of its range siblings, it is likely to get Sony audio as well.

The crux of it all then, is the all-important powertrain and range. Sitting on the floorpan is a 61 kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery that powers a single 204 PS/340 Nm electric motor. Claimed range is 430 km on the WLTP test cycle. Acceleration is a claimed 7.6 seconds from 0-100 km/h.

Chery claims a power efficiency of 15 kWh/100 km, and charges fast: it has 80 kW DC charging capacity, enabling it to get from 0-80% state of charge (SOC) in 30 minutes using a DC charger, quotes Chery. AC charging is at a maximum 9.9 kW.

It also has a 3.3 kW vehicle-to-load (V2L) function that allows customers to power small household items via the car's charging port, located in in its snout.

Other than that, the Malaysia-spec Omoda E5 will be equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that includes 17 functions, which include blind spot monitoring, autonomous emergency braking and rear cross traffic alert.

Also read: Review: Chery Tiggo 8 Pro - Full box of kit to tackle Malaysians but alas, where is the hook?