Chinese car maker Chery will launch its first electric vehicle in the middle of this year.
The brand, which returned to the Australian market last year with the petrol-powered Omoda compact SUV, will take on the likes of BYD and MG at the budget end of the electric SUV market.
The Omoda E5 is powered by a single electric motor that puts out the same power as BYD’s Atto 3 but develops slightly more torque. Chery claims a 0-100km/h time of 7.6 seconds, which is three-tenths slower than the Atto 3.
Driving range is also lineball with the Atto: Chery claims 430km, 10km more than the long-range version of the Atto 3. Both can charge at 80kW, which is roughly a third of the speed of EVs from established makers such as Tesla, Kia and Hyundai.
The brand hasn’t released pricing for the E5, but it will need to cost about $50,000 plus on-roads to be competitive with the Atto3 and MG ZS EV.
That’s a big leap from the petrol-powered Omoda range, which currently starts at $32,990 drive-away plus a $2000 factory bonus).
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