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Thursday / 13 February 2025
HomeNewsSouth African-bound Omoda E5 – Power and driving range revealed

South African-bound Omoda E5 – Power and driving range revealed

The all-electric Omoda E5 is coming to South Africa this year, adding a new-energy alternative to the Chinese brand’s premium crossover line-up.

The battery-powered E5 was first hinted at for a local introduction in May 2023 when Tony Liu, Executive Deputy General Manager of Omoda South Africa, announced that it was under investigation for an introduction in right-hand-drive markets such as Australia and South Africa.

Now, the crossover has officially been locked in for an Australian release, giving us our first concrete info on its key specifications and features.

What you need to know

The Omoda E5 is a battery-electric version of the C5 crossover that went on sale in South Africa in April last year.

The car was designed with electrification in mind from the start, and so most of the underlying architecture is the same for the new-energy models as it is for the internal combustion engine (ICE) units.

Instead of petrol, the newcomer is motivated by a front-mounted electric motor which generates 150kW and 340Nm, substantially higher than the 1.5-litre C5’s 115kW and 230Nm.

In Australia, the current for the e-motor is derived from a 61kWh battery pack, which affords the Omoda a driving range of approximately 450km, and it’s likely that the South African units will feature very similar specs when it eventually arrives on our shores.

Other powertrain attributes to consider include its 0-100km/h acceleration time of 7.6 seconds, and its charging time, which the company claims will take 40 minutes using a fast charger.

The equipment list for the incoming crossover has not been confirmed, but considering it is a battery-driven version of the C5, it will likely share the same extensive spec sheet.

This means motorists should look forward to niceties like a sunroof, an electric tailgate, ambient lighting, keyless entry and start, ventilated Sports seats, leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control, an eight-speaker Sony sound system, a 50W wireless charger, and two 10.25-inch displays with smartphone pairing.

The C5 also features adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic emergency braking, front and rear parking sensors, a 360-degree camera, blind-spot detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, and traffic-congestion assist, making these a strong possibility for the EV as well.

South Africa has yet to receive a release date, but the C5 is going on sale in the land down under “by mid-year 2024” so we can likely expect it to arrive here a few months after this, putting a launch window towards the end of the year.

Naturally, it’s too early for the Chinese car’s local pricing to be announced, but Australian publication Drive has pegged the E5 as a competitor to the likes of Hyundai Kona Electric and the BYD Atto 3 – the latter of which is available in South Africa.

This seems like an apt comparison, as the Atto 3 is currently one of the cheapest electric SUVs in the country alongside the Volvo EX30, as the two cars start at R768,000 and R775,900, respectively.

As another reference point, the Omoda C5 currently retails for between R447,900 and R589,990, so the added cost of the electric powertrain combined with South Africa’s import duties will likely raise the E5’s tag to a sum comparable to the BYD and Volvo.

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