China’s Chery Automobile returns to Australia

New-car prices have soared in the past couple of years, but a budget brand plans to return to the local market with a range of affordable machines.

Chery’s Omoda 5 is on its way to Australia.

A Chinese car brand once responsible for Australia’s cheapest vehicles plans to reinvent itself with a premium model inspired by the likes of Mercedes.

Chery, a cut-price manufacturer that used to sell $9990 hatchbacks, has established an Australian website and social media presence ahead of a return later this year.

The brand told Australian Facebook followers it would introduce a high-tech SUV in coming months, saying “we will launch OMODA5 by the end of this year”.

Chery plans to sell the Omoda 5 in Australia.

Styled with what the brand describes as a “Cyberpunk two-tone dynamic body”, the Omoda 5 shapes up as a rival to new SUVs such as the Nissan Qashqai and Honda HR-V.

Prices and technical specifications for the model are not available.

The Omoda 5 has a modern-looking interior.

But overseas examples are powered by a turbocharged 150kW engine mated to a dual-clutch automatic transmission. A similarly powerful electric version with about 450 kilometres of range is also sold overseas.

High-tech digital screens are part of the package.

The car has a similar dashboard to the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, offering twin horizontal screens in a long digital readout divided into a driver’s display and central infotainment panel.

Chinese examples are stacked with driver aids such as radar cruise control and lane keeping assistance.

Chery sold Australia’s cheapest cars before leaving the market.

That represents a significant departure from the brand’s original presence in Australia, when features such as stability control were missing in action.

Chery’s local lineup could be bolstered by larger SUVs in the Tiggo 8 and Tiggo 7.

Bigger models could be on the cards.

The brand is also rumoured to have a dual-cab pick-up waiting in the wings, giving it a rival to the Chinese utes such as Great Wall’s Steed and the LDV T60.

Originally published as China’s Chery Automobile returns to Australia