Chery has just officiated its return to the Malaysian market with the launch of its new SUVs – the Chery Omoda 5 and the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro. The Chinese carmaker has also chosen Malaysia as its right-hand drive (RHD) conversion hub, as well as an export hub, further solidifying its investment in Malaysia. However, Chery is obviously not settling just yet, and is targeting 20% of the Malaysian electric vehicle (EV) market share by 2024, and will be doing so by bringing its Omoda 5 EV and Tiggo 8 Pro PHEV models to our market next.
Earlier this year, Chery previewed the Chery Omoda 5 EV at Auto Shanghai 2023 and has also released the EV SUV’s specs. Meant to rival the likes of the BYD Atto 3 and Hyundai Kona EV when officially launched in Malaysia, the Omoda 5 EV has been said to be launching in Malaysia as soon as the end of this year, 2023.
Regarding its specs, we laid them out when the car was previewed at Auto Shanghai 2023. But just in case you missed it, here are some of the Omoda 5 EV’s features.
On the outside, the Omoda 5 EV’s design is largely similar to the petrol-powered Omoda 5 that was just launched in Malaysia yesterday, albeit with some tweaks to fit its EV identity. This includes a closed-off grille, smoothen-out front bumper, more aerodynamic-looking rims, and a slightly tweaked rear bumper design.
Powering the fully electric Omoda 5 EV is a single motor setup that pushes out 221 hp, 18 hp more than the BYD Atto 3. Paired with a 61 kWh battery, the Chery Omoda 5 EV can carry you as far as an approximated 450 km (WLTP) on a single charge.
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Inside, the Chery Omoda 5 EV sports a floating twin-screen display, just like the ones found in its petrol-powered sibling, Sony-branded speakers, as well as a lighter colour scheme. Interestingly, the EV SUV also comes with a steering column-mounted gear selector. However, the specifications that will come with the Malaysian-spec Omoda 5 EV in the future might differ, as the above were features available during the preview.
The plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variant of the freshly-launched Chery Tiggo 8 Pro has also been confirmed to be arriving at Malaysian shores at the end of this year and will be competing against the likes of the Proton X90, Mazda CX-8, and Kia Sorento. The Tiggo 8 Pro PHEV won’t be the only PHEV Chery model that will be coming to Malaysia either, as Chery has also mentioned that it is working on bringing the Tiggo 7 Pro PHEV to our market as well.
Based on the model that was showcased in China earlier this year, the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro PHEV pretty much sports an exterior design that is largely similar to its petrol-powered counterpart and features seven seats on the inside. The Chery Tiggo 8 Pro’s PHEV powertrain consists of a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine, with two electric motors. Mated to what Chery calls a 3DHT (Dedicated Hybrid Transmission) gearbox, the PHEV SUV’s combined output is rated at 241 hp and 510 Nm.
Just like the Omoda 5 EV, none of the specifications of the Malaysian-spec Chery Tiggo 8 Pro PHEV has been finalised just yet. We will have to wait till its officially launched in our market in the next couple of months.
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