At the launch of the Chery Omoda E5 today, the company has announced that the fully electric crossover model will indeed be locally assembled here in Malaysia as it expands its partnership with CKD partner Inokom.
The first batch of the Chery Omoda E5 will arrive in CBU form from China, but local CKD operations for the model will soon begin in Q2 2024, said Chery Auto Malaysia Vice President, Lee Wen Hsiang, at the press conference today.
While the Chery Omoda E5 will not be the first locally assembled EV here in Malaysia (that unique distinction goes to the Volvo XC40 Recharge), but it is still the first amongst the recent barrage of Chinese EVs, including the likes of the MG, BYD, and Neta (who recently begun construction of its CKD plant in partnership with NexV Manufacturing) – a true show of commitment from Chery to the Malaysian market.
In addition to its CKD plans, Malaysia is also amongst the first right-hand drive markets in the world to receive the Omoda E5, alongside neighbouring Indonesia.
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As a quick recap, the all-new Chery Omoda E5 is now available in Malaysia in one single variant, priced at RM146,800 on-the-road, and without insurance. The fully electric crossover sports a single motor setup on the front-axle, and is powered by a 61 kWh battery pack to send 201 hp and 340 Nm to the front wheels.
The Chery Omoda E5 boasts a driving range of 430 km (WLTP), and can be recharged via the 9.9 kW on-board AC charger, or an 80 kW DC charger – the latter taking approximately 28 minutes to go from 10-80%.
