Chery Q EV spied in Malaysia – is this one of Chery’s cheaper EVs for our market to rival Proton eMas 5, TQ Wuling Bingo?

The Chery Q EV has been spotted on Malaysian roads, raising speculation that the small electric hatchback could be undergoing local evaluation as one of Chery’s more affordable EV offerings, as seen in the photo aboive taken by Aquarius Cyan on Facebook.

The vehicle pictured appears to be a right-hand drive unit wearing a test registration plate. Chery Malaysia has not confirmed plans to launch the Q locally, so it remains unclear whether this is a market study, an engineering evaluation or an early step towards a future introduction.

If brought here, the Chery Q would compete with the Proton eMas 5 and the TQ Wuling Bingo.

The Chery Q is already on sale in Thailand, where it is offered in three variants: Qlick, Qool and Quint. Prices start at 449,900 baht, equivalent to approximately RM 56,000, for the Qlick. The Qool is priced at 479,900 baht, or around RM 59,000, while the range-topping Quint costs 519,900 baht, equivalent to approximately RM 64,000.

These introductory Thai prices include an eight-year or 200,000 km vehicle warranty, a lifetime warranty for the high-voltage battery, five years of 24-hour roadside assistance, one year of free insurance, five years of free telematics services, a portable AC charger and a carpet set.

Chery Q dimensions and powertrain

Measuring 4,195 mm long, 1,811 mm wide and 1,573 mm tall, the Chery Q has a wheelbase of 2,700 mm. Compared with the Proton eMas 5, the Q is 60 mm longer, 6 mm wider and 8 mm lower, while both cars have a 2,700 mm wheelbase.

The Thai-specification Chery Q uses a single rear-mounted electric motor producing 122 PS and 115 Nm. This is powered by a 41.3 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, giving the car a claimed range of 400 km on the NEDC cycle.

That works out to approximately 340 km under WLTP testing, which is slightly higher than the Proton eMas 5 Premium’s claimed 325 km WLTP range. The Chery Q has a top speed of 139 km/h.

For comparison, the Proton eMas 5 Premium produces 116 PS and 150 Nm, although it uses a smaller 40.16 kWh battery. The base eMas 5 variants use 30.12 kWh and 40.16 kWh batteries depending on specification.

The Chery Q supports DC fast charging at up to 85 kW, compared with 71 kW for the eMas 5 Premium. Its battery can be charged from 30% to 80% in 16 minutes, while AC charging is supported at up to 6.6 kW.

The car also comes with 6.6 kW vehicle-to-load functionality, allowing it to power external electrical devices. The Proton eMas 5 offers a lower 3.3 kW V2L output.

Boot capacity is rated at 375 litres, matching the Proton eMas 5. With the rear seats folded, the Chery Q’s luggage space increases to 1,450 litres – 130 litres more than the Proton.

Equipment and variant differences

Like the Proton eMas 5, the Chery Q features a front storage compartment, MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link rear suspension. It also gets ventilated front disc brakes and solid rear discs.

Even the entry-level Qlick comes with 16-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 205/60 tyres, automatic LED headlamps and automatic dual-zone air-conditioning. The base Proton eMas 5, in comparison, uses 15-inch capped steel wheels, manual halogen headlamps and a manual single-zone air-conditioning system.

However, the Proton claws back some ground with a larger 14.6-inch central touchscreen, an 8.8-inch digital instrument display and six airbags as standard. The Chery Q Qlick uses a 12.8-inch touchscreen, an 8.0-inch instrument display and four airbags.

Both entry-level variants otherwise share broadly similar equipment, including manual-folding side mirrors, manual seats, rear under-seat storage, rear air vents, four speakers, conventional cruise control, tyre-pressure monitoring and a reverse camera.

Moving up to the Qool brings a 15.6-inch touchscreen, an 8.8-inch instrument display, six airbags, a 360-degree camera and electrically folding side mirrors – a feature not offered on the Proton eMas 5.

The Qool also gets a powered frunk and Chery’s Q Talk external vehicle communication system. More importantly, this variant adds a full suite of driver assistance features, including front and rear autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and lane-centering functions.

The Proton eMas 5 offers blind-spot monitoring and rear AEB on its base variant, but buyers need to move up to the Premium version for front AEB, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning. The Proton does not offer lane-centering or lane-keeping functions.

The range-topping Quint adds 17-inch alloy wheels with 205/55 tyres, a powered tailgate, ambient lighting, 50-watt wireless charging, voice recognition and a six-speaker audio system.

It also gains automatic high-beam assistance, auto parking, a powered driver’s seat and front parking sensors – features that are not available on the Proton eMas 5.

Chery QQ in Malaysia

Chery already assembles vehicles locally, with models such as the Tiggo Cross being produced in Malaysia. This could make a local introduction of the Chery Q more feasible, although no launch plans have been announced.

With a price range potentially overlapping the Proton eMas 5, the Chery Q could give Malaysian buyers another affordable EV option, particularly if Chery can localise production or price it aggressively as a fully imported model.

For now, the Malaysian sighting only confirms that the Chery Q is being seen on our roads. Whether it is being evaluated for a local launch remains to be seen.