Following up rather quickly since the brand’s re-emergence here, the Chery Omoda E5 battery electric vehicle (BEV) has just been launched in Malaysia, marking the third model of the marque to be introduced into our country.

Only one variant of the electric SUV is offered, priced from RM 146,800. Early models will be fully-imported (CBU China), with local assembly (CKD) to commence later on, sometime in Q2 2024.

Either way, the Chery Omoda range in Malaysia as of today is priced as such, both ICE and EV:

• Chery Omoda 5 C: RM 108,800
• Chery Omoda 5 H: RM 118,800
• Chery Omoda E5 BEV: RM 146,800

Chery Omoda E5 specs

Most of the exterior looks pretty similar to the regular Omoda 5, save for the EV touches – a clean front fascia without a grille, and a set of wind-cheating flat-faced 18-inch wheels finished in dual-tone.

Main features include automatic LED headlights with cornering lights, LED daytime running lights (DRLs), the lightbar round the rear, and an adaptive front grille that opens or closes depending on the car's temperature needs.

For the exterior, four colours are open for customers' choosing: Aqua Green, Khaki White, Phantom Grey, and Dark Black.

The cabin of the Omoda E5 is available in two colour combos: Blue and Beige, or just Black. Other than that, appointments within are pretty up to standard - there's a pair of 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.

Speaking of infotainment, it runs off Qualcomm's 7nm 8155 chipset, which promises snappy response and high-speed connectivity options (USB 3.0, Gigabit-capable internet, for example). Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are of course, bundled in together. There's also the Sony-supplied 8-speaker setup.

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 regarding inefficient use of space we experienced with the internal combustion engine variant.

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

Other changes include shift-by-wire buttons by the steering wheel for gear selection (replacing the traditional gearknob), and subtle changes in the details and materials - faux wood over brushed aluminium garnishes, and a new ambient lighting signature by the dash.

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.

Also read: Chery Malaysia's 2024 plan: Expand dealership network by 70%, plus 3 model launches

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 is equipped with 18 ADAS functions, namely:

• Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
• Blind-spot Detection (BSD)
• Emergency Lane Keeping (ELK)
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
• Front Collision Warning (FCW)
• Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
• Lane Departure Prevention (LDP)
• Lane Change Assist (LCA)
• Traffic Jam Assistant (TJA)
• Integrated Cruise Assist (ICA)
• Rear Cross Traffic Braking (RCTB)
• Rear Collision Warning (RCW)
• Driver Monitoring System (DMS)
• Door Open Warning (DOW)
• Multi Collision Brake (MCB)
• Intelligent Evasion System (IES)
• Departure reminder

Chery backs the Omoda E5 with a 7-year, 150k km vehicle warranty, as well as an 8-year/160k km battery, motor, battery management system, and control unit warranty. In addition, Chery offers a one-to-one exchange of the battery if it falls below 70% health during the warranty period.

Meanwhile, the first 2,000 bookings will enjoy a complimentary wall box charger, vehicle-to-load charger, and RM 1,000 worth of charging credits at EVC roaming partners. Customers opting for Maybank financing are also eligible to a special 2.08% interest rate.

Also read: Trade in your old Chery for a brand-new Chery and get an additional RM 3,000 rebate