Chery's Omoda E5 lowers power, ups value

While it is not as brisk, the COE Category A variant is identical to but cheaper than its beefier twin

- Christopher Tan

I drove the first Chinese car here in 2006. It was the Chery QQ, an atrocious little car which looked uncannily like the Chevrolet Spark. It remains the worst car I have driven in my life. Its build quality was absolutely dismal, and the drive a little scary.

The only thing it had going for it was its price. At $32,900 with certificate of entitlement (COE), it was the cheapest car you could buy in Singapore.

Fast forward 18 years, and Chery has transformed into something quite respectable. It took the state-owned company just 25 years since it launched its first car—the A11 sedan—to arrive. The feat is surpassed by several other fellow Chinese manufacturers, some of which are half the age of Chery.

But who could have imagined the progress of the Chinese carmakers? Not long after the QQ subcompact was introduced here, Chery became dormant. And everyone thought that was it.

Chery marked its return to Singapore earlier in 2024 with two sub-brands—the fully electric Omoda and the petrol-electric hybrid Jaecoo.