New Chery Omoda 5 lands in Australia

CHINESE brand Chery relaunches in Australia on March 23 with the Chery Omoda 5, a small SUV available from 40 dealers with a seven-year warranty and a drive-away price starting from about $30,000.

Battery electric versions of the Omoda 5 are confirmed for Australia and due to arrive in the first half of 2024.

Chery Australia executives would not divulge exact pricing for the petrol-powered Omoda 5 at a media reveal in Sydney this week, but did suggest price would be in the $30,000 to $40,000 range for the two-model range (Omoda 5 and Omoda 5 EX), with on-road costs included.

Chery Australia brand manager Andrew Haurissa said: “We can't reveal our full drive-away prices yet, as we're still in consultation with headquarters, but we can safely say there'll be a ‘three’ on the front end... any brand that sells an SUV under $40K is a target”.

Pricing for the Omoda 5 and Omoda 5 EX will be announced at launch on March 23.

The Omoda 5 will come with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine (claimed to return average fuel consumption of 6.9L/100km and able to run on regular 91 RON fuel) delivering its 115kW of power and 230Nm of torque to the front wheels through an automatic continuously variable transmission (CVT).

While the Omoda 5 and Omoda 5 EX trim levels will be offered from launch with the 1.5-litre/CVT front-drive powertrain, the more powerful Omoda 5 EX+ 1.6 turbo and EX+ 1.6 turbo AWD (running through a seven-speed dual-clutch auto) will arrive in the second half of the year.

At about the same time, Chery should launch the Tiggo 7 Pro five-seat mid-size SUV and seven-seat Tiggo 8 Pro large SUV in Australia.

Chery considers the Omoda 5 its latest technical tour de force and as such features dual 10.25-inch borderless touchscreens, dual wireless phone chargers and wireless Apple CarPlay as standard.

Standard features on the entry-level Omoda 5 include 18-inch alloy wheels, six-way power adjustment for the driver’s seat, front sports seats, synthetic leather upholstery, keyless entry and start (and remote start up to 30 metres away), auto- on LED headlights, high-beam assist and LED tail-lights.

In addition, the Omoda 5 EX offers a power sunroof, electric tailgate, 360-degree camera system, four-way powered front passenger seat adjustment, front seat and steering wheel heating, red brake calipers, illuminated vanity mirrors, exterior LED welcome lights and second-row ambient lighting. 

Chery claims the Omoda 5 has 16 active driving safety features and seven airbags. While as yet untested by ANCAP, the Omoda 5 achieved a five-star rating when tested in left-hand drive by Euro NCAP last year.

Paint finishes available at launch include Space Black, Mercurial Grey, Lunar White, Titan Green, Jupiter Blue, Midnight Blue and Saturn Silver. Optionally available on Omoda 5 EX are red lower body and side mirror highlights and a black ‘floating’ roof.

Chery has matched key players such as MG, Haval and Kia with a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty plus seven years of capped price servicing and up to seven years of roadside assist if the vehicle is serviced at Chery dealerships. 

According to Chery Australia network development director Roy Munoz, the brand has 40 dealers signed up to start selling the Omoda 5 from launch on March 23 but does not want to over-extend its dealership base to begin with.

Once real-world sales volumes had been established, more dealers would likely add the brand to their portfolio.

Meanwhile, the Chery Finance product – underwritten by Branded Financial Services – will be available for customers either on a self-serve basis online or at dealerships.

The auto industry is often reluctant to reveal sales projections but Chery Australia says it is aiming for an eight per cent market share in each segment it has a product offered. This translates to about 10,000 units of the Omoda 5 sold annually, putting it among the top small SUVs sold. 

Competitors include the Haval Jolion (from $28,490 drive-away), Hyundai Kona (from $26,900), Kia Seltos (from $29,500 before on-road costs), Mazda CX-30 (from $30,210 + ORC), Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (from $31,490 + ORC), Toyota C-HR (from $31,715 + ORC) and Volkswagen T-Roc (from $37,100 + ORC).

Although Chery does not yet hold any orders for the Omoda 5, the model is expected to be stocked here, according to Mr Munoz, “in the four figures” by the launch kick-off next month and with no supply problems in the near future.

“We have no supply chain issues from the factory; shipping maybe a challenge, but we’re pretty confident that we can meet our targets”

Chery Australia aftersales director Lucas Harris said Chery has been testing the Omoda 5 locally with examples here on test for about a year evaluating features such as traffic sign recognition.

He said no issues arose from testing that required any changes from the standard car, although as far as Aussie tuning or development is concerned, he said Chery ”won’t rule that out in the future”.