Changan kicks off its European ‘invasion’ with Deepal S07

China’s fourth-largest carmaker, state-owned Changan, has set foot ashore in Mainz, Germany, last Friday as the first step in its ‘European invasion’ in ten markets to start on the Old Continent in the following years. Its EU parts headquarters will be in the Netherlands.

The group showed its electric SUV, Deepal S07, as its first model for the European market, starting at 45,000 euros. It will be introduced in Norway, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands from April onward, followed by the UK in June, and other markets later. First deliveries are expected no sooner than September.

Started as a weapon factory

Changan Automobile is a Chinese state-owned car manufacturer headquartered in Chongqing. That city in southwestern China is one of the four municipalities administered directly under the Chinese government—like Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin—with a population of 30 million.

Changan’s roots date back to 1862, when it was founded as the Shanghai Foreign Gun Bureau, a weapon factory. In the 1950s, after the country became the People’s Republic of China, the company shifted toward vehicle manufacturing.

Jeep-like military vehicles

By 1957, it developed China’s first jeep-like military vehicle, the Changjiang Type 46, signaling its entry into the automotive sector. In the 1990s, it started assembling foreign brands for the Chinese markets, such as Suzuki (1993), Ford (2001), and Mazda (2006). Partnerships with the latter two continue today.

Only later, in 2010, did it shift its focus to developing its brand name, Changan, and now discontinued Oshan (SUVs and passenger cars) or Kaicene (light commercial vehicles).

Deepal—which means deep blue in Chinese—was initially named Chongqing Changan New Energy Automobile Technology, founded in 2018, and became an independent brand in 2023.

The brand operates independently of the Changan Group and has six models today, mostly SUVs available as fully electric (BEV) or range-extend EVs (EREV).

And then there is Avatr, a premium EV brand created in 2018 through a joint venture, initially 50/50 with NIO and later with various Chinese domestic entities.

It also has technical support from the world’s biggest battery maker, CATL, and Chinese telecom giant Huawei. The partnership with privately owned NIO never materialized, and NIO withdrew two years later.

Deepal S07 takes the lead

In recent years, Changan has expanded globally, entering markets in the Middle East, South America, and Africa. The first model to travel West is the Deepal S07, a mid-size electric SUV with a WLTP range of 475 km thanks to an 80 kWh battery.

Power comes from a rear-mounted 160 kW (262 hp) electric motor, which delivers up to 320 Nm of torque and allows the SUV to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/hour in 7.9 seconds.

The carmaker said at the European start event in Mainz on Friday that a Deepal S05 model will also launch later this year, followed by the Changan E07 by early 2026 and probably the Avatr 11 and Avatr 12 later. It also plans to sell EREV hybrid cars in Europe starting in 2026.

The Deepal S07 was designed in Turin with European expectations in mind and has already passed its Euro NCAP safety tests with a five-star rating. It first launched in China in June 2023 and has received a facelift since, with an upgraded semi-autonomous driving system from Huawei.

Producing in Thailand

According to Reuters, citing car industry analyst Felipe Munoz, Changan was the world’s No. 16 automaker in 2024, with just over 2.2 million vehicle sales.

Changan wants to expand to over ten markets by the end of 2025 by partnering with a sales and services network of more than 1,000 existing car dealerships but did not give a time frame.

The company has production plants in China and Thailand, and cars for Europe will be imported from there to start, avoiding most EU taxes on Chinese EVs. But at the Mainz event, Changan Chairman Zhu Huarong also announced production “in Europe for Europe” before 2030.