Changan celebrated its European debut in March with the Deepal S07, an electric mid-size SUV, and has since joined the ranks of Chinese brands active in Europe. However, the debut of its first EV in Germany and the UK – Europe’s largest electric car markets – is not planned before September. Meanwhile, Nic Thomas, Changan’s Head of Marketing, Sales and Service in Europe, confirmed on the sidelines of a driving event near London that the company’s local production plans are becoming more concrete.
“We’re committed to being in Europe, making in Europe for Europe,” Thomas told the news agency Reuters. “We’re working on local manufacturing solutions here.”
Changan plans to enter Europe with three brands – its core Changan brand, Deepal, and Avatr. The initial target markets are Norway, Denmark, Germany, the UK and the Netherlands. Although the Chinese company is talking about a sales launch in the second quarter, key markets will not see the models before September at the earliest.
Back in March, Sales Manager Thomas told electrive that he was currently putting together the dealer network for Germany. Once he has ten retail partners “covering the regions in Germany that are important to us, we’ll get started.” Behind the scenes, Changan is said to have been working on its European expansion for almost two years.
Changan Chairman Zhu Huarong also attended the European premiere in Mainz, Germany, in March and struck a humble tone in his speech. The top executive said the company had learned from Europe over past decades. With the shift in powertrains, he now sees an opportunity for his company to gain a foothold here – with a strategy called “In Europe, for Europe”. Even then, Huarong spoke of local production plans that should materialise “before 2030”. Until then, vehicles for Europe will come from Changan’s plant in Nanjing.
The company has long had a global presence with its own R&D and design centres, including in Italy and Germany. Moreover, last year Changan established its European headquarters in Munich in preparation for the current market entry.
The initial rollout will include eight models by 2027. The first two pioneers are the Deepal S07 and Deepal S05 – a purely electric mid-size SUV and a slightly smaller compact SUV, which will launch both as a BEV and a range extender model. Changan has not yet named the other models – three each in 2026 and 2027 – but they will likely include the larger Changan E07 and the premium EVs Avatr 11 and Avatr 12, as these are named by the manufacturer as the European spearheads of their respective brands Changan and Avatr. A mix of BEV, PHEV and EREV powertrains is also planned.
Other Chinese manufacturers are also pursuing this dual strategy – gaining a foothold with imports despite EU tariffs on EVs made in China, while in parallel advancing the construction of their own factories. Well-known examples include BYD with its plant in Hungary and Chery. According to insider reports, Chery is close to finalising a deal to produce in a Volkswagen Group plant in Germany. Geely, by contrast, has not yet announced a factory but is now launching its namesake core brand and its EX5 electric SUV in the UK and Southeast Europe.
reuters.com