Chery Omoda 5 Malaysia Launch Confirmed - 197PS Crossover To Shake Up B-Segment

If you reckoned the B-segment crossover space wasn’t crowded enough, here’s another contender coming down the pipe. Alongside other international market rollouts such as Australia, the Omoda 5, has been confirmed for a local launch by Chery Malaysia.

While we’re pretty sure that such an introduction is bound for 2022, an exact launch date or expected window has not been disclosed. We’ll keep our ear to the ground as more news develops.

The Omada 5 was first shown to the public in late November 2021, where it received a pretty positive audience response but has only just begun production last week in Wuhu, China.

Given its size - being at the larger end of the B-segment category - and predictably sharp pricing, there’s no doubt it’ll be locking horns with the Proton X50, Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona and even the Corolla Cross.

That said it will be among the more powerful in its class with 197PS and 290Nm coming from a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine which sends power to the front wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic. Chery’s roadmap for the Omoda 5 will include electrification as well.

In terms of its design, there’s definitely a lot going on from contrasting coloured accents to a jumble of character lines. It doesn’t look bad, just unexpectedly busy, which is an impression that kicks off from gazing upon that huge wraparound front grille. Still, it might be up your alley if you think the newest BMWs look tasty.

Flanking this are slim illuminators up top for the daytime running lights while the main LED beams are positioned further down just ahead of the wheel wells much like the tiered headlight designs from Hyundai.

The rear profile, however, does vaguely resemble a Lexus RX especially with its slightly sloping roofline, blacked-out ‘floating roof’ effect, and arrowhead tail lights.

Inside, Chery has seemed to have done some very good work with the cabin layout and design, looking very elegant and ergonomic with its mix of matte finishes and leather upholstery. This subtlety is very much at odds with the exterior but nonetheless a welcome relief.

There are dual 12.3-inch screens for the infotainment and digital instrument cluster which supposedly supports Apple CarPlay (yay for capitalism!). The rest of the dashboard looks rather minimal with only a few buttons scattered about.

While we’re not certain about the Omoda 5’s complement of active safety features, reports confirm it will feature a 360-degree camera system.