Extreme climate testing for Omoda 5

CHERY is deep into climate testing its forthcoming Omoda 5 SUV as it prepares the model for global markets – including Australia.

The Chinese manufacturer says its Tri-extreme series of tests aim to ensure dependability of the vehicle in extreme low- and high-temperature scenarios, as well as at extreme altitudes.

The Omoda 5 research and development team has to date tested the SUV in temperatures as low as -43.0 degrees and as high as +49.6 degrees Celsius, and at elevations of up to 5200 metres. It says the Omoda 5 has passed every test successfully, thanks to its “global-standard quality”.

Chery said the Omoda 5 started successfully after only one to three seconds at its lowest temperature assessment, while functions including heating, defrosting and defogging also worked normally.

For the high-temperature assessment, the R&D team dynamic test over a variety of terrains, testing weather resistance, dust ingress and heat-stress tests of the vehicle’s air-conditioning system, all of which it says were passed successfully.

Additionally, the Omoda 5 was testing at high altitudes – where air pressure is below 60KPA (8.7psi, the standard atmospheric pressure at sea level is 14.7psi) – to ensure the engine would continue to perform as normal, even when ascending steep grades in forward and reverse gears.

As Chery’s first truly global model, the Omoda 5 has also undergone localised tuning for specific markets to “satisfy the needs of global users”. Chery has not disclosed further details of such localisation, but like other manufacturers, it is assumed various suspension and steering tunes will be offered to cater to differing market tastes.

Chery will offer the Omoda 5 with a direct injected 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine in most global markets. The engine produces peak power of 145kW and peak torque of 290Nm and can accelerate the SUV from standstill to 100km/h in a respectable 7.8 seconds.

The Omoda 5 R&D team says the unit features optimised intake tumbling, thermal management systems and a lightweight structure, as well as a 200bar high-pressure direct injection system, to realise a thermal efficiency number of 37.1 per cent.

Chery said the engine is particularly responsive at lower revolutions and exceptionally efficient but has yet to release fuel consumption figures for the model.

Finally, the Omoda 5 research and development team unveiled details of its crash worthiness saying the SUV has been designed and tested to fully meet global standards and regulations.

The monocoque body has been constructed using a combination of high-strength, ultra-high-strength, and thermo-flowing steel with a maximum strength of 1500MPa, and aluminium alloys throughout.

The team says the model offers “comprehensively superior product strength” when compared with key rivals.

Chery Automobile will return to the Australian market later this year, this time as a factory-backed effort comprising local and Chinese staff. It has already imported three vehicles – the Omoda 5, Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 – for validation testing and a customer clinic it says with gauge customer reaction to the models’ styling and features.

“We will set up a subsidiary company in Australia,” Chery Automobile’s Australian brand manager, Zoe Zhang told GoAuto previously.

“(Our company) is highly advanced in new energy technologies and is preparing to bring its safe and high-quality new models to the Australian market.”

Zoe Zhang told GoAuto the company will make its initial return to the Australian market with the Omoda5 medium SUV by the end of 2022.