The pint-sized Chery QQ is perhaps what most Singaporeans (of a certain age) have associated with the Chery brand for a long time. All that, however, might change very soon, when this all-electric compact crossover officially reaches our shores.

Brought out over the weekend for display to intrigue visitors at the 2024 Singapore Motor Show, the E5 will mark the first model by the Omoda brand to reach our shores when it is launched sometime in the first quarter of 2024. In turn, Omoda counts itself as one out of Chery International's wide portfolio of sub-brands, which have reached a claimed cumulative global sales figure of more than 10 million units. Up till this recent development, the Chery brand had not been active in Singapore for more than a decade. 

Like the main Chery brand previously, Omoda has come under the distributorship of Vertex Automobile, which was quick to note that the car we saw at Suntec Convention Centre was a display-only vehicle. As such, prior to its proper launch (apparently set to follow very soon), exact specifications for local units cannot be confirmed yet.

Nonetheless it's worth highlighting that variants offered abroad are quite well-rounded in both driving range and power. The E5 can be fitted with a 61kWh battery, which is capable of a WLTP-rated driving range of 430km, and supports DC charging at an unspecified speed that can send its state-of-charge from 30 to 80per cent in just 28 minutes.

Specs taken from international sources also indicate that the E5 will have a maximum power output of 150kW (or 201bhp). If this holds for local units, this will put the E5 on exactly even footing as the 150kW variant of BYD's bestselling Atto 3. 

It's quite likely that the Omoda E5 will have a modern interior to match its sleek styling on the outside, too. For instance, the unit we got up close to had an uninterrupted panel on its dashboard, housing a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen. 

Internationally, the E5 can also be kitted out with the full suite of advanced driver's assistance systems, including Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keep Assist, adaptive cruise control, and Blind Spot Detection.

Finally, the E5 can be specced with a 360-degree camera for better ease of parking - although at just 4,442mm long, 1,830mm wide, and 1,588mm tall, this shouldn't be too difficult to circle around a multi-storey carpark.

SgCarMart understands that Vertex Automobile aims to launch the E5 within the first quarter of this year, with construction of a brand-new showroom for the Omoda brand to be completed by March 2024. Registrations of interest for the car were also open all weekend, when Sgcarmart headed down to visit the 2024 Motor Show. Vertex Automobile also appears to be gearing up for the launch with an official local website for the brand, which can be visited here. 

This article was first published in sgCarMart.

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