Three more new Chinese car brands – Changan, Deepal and Avatr – are all set to arrive in the UK in the coming weeks and months. But far from being unknown newcomers, the models they’ll offer have been honed in Britain. In fact, the parent company, Changan Auto, has been quietly running an R&D centre just outside Birmingham for the past 15 years.
“This is a real R&D centre,” explains Nic Thomas, managing director of Changan UK. “We’ve got about a hundred engineers working here on powertrain engineering, primarily powertrain R&D, doing real things.”
That work has had a major impact globally, too. “For around 90 per cent of powertrains that are on sale in Changan models in China, the R&D was done here,” Thomas adds.
From suspension tuning to ADAS driver assistance system calibration and even full hybrid powertrain development, Changan’s UK site has played a crucial role in getting the new wave of electric and plug-in hybrid models ready for Europe.
“They’ve done a full calibration exercise on the suspension of the vehicle because it wasn’t right for UK roads. And they redesigned and rebuilt the suspension in three months – China speed. And when I say they did it in three months, it was a month talking about it, it was a month calibrating it, then they put it into production.”
Some of the software work the UK team has been doing in preparation for a European launch has really paid dividends according to Thomas. “The ADAS systems are significantly less intrusive, I would say, than other cars that I’ve driven – really properly, nicely calibrated to the roads. They’re still there to keep you safe, but they’re not beeping and buzzing at you the whole time.”
The company’s UK operation has now grown into a full European base. “We’ve now got the technical centre for Europe here. We’ve got a training centre here and the engineering for Europe specific vehicles is all being done here as well,” said Thomas.
The first model to arrive in the UK will be the Deepal S07, which, – like other Changan models – has been styled in the company’s design studio in Turin, Italy and will go on sale this month. The S07 will be joined by a second model, the S05, by Christmas. “You can’t launch a car company with one car. So, we start with two and then it will be a similar pace as well.”
There are further vehicles in the pipeline, with electric and plug-in hybrid options set to roll out across both Changan and its Deepal sub-brand. Avatr, the upmarket EV brand developed in partnership with battery specialist CATL, will follow in late 2026 according to Thomas.
“Avatar is the generally received pronunciation these days and they’ve got some great cars. They will be standalone models but we will most likely distribute them with our same dealer partners, but that’s to be seen.”
Far from rushing in, the company has been preparing its UK entry for over 18 months. “We didn’t invent the term, but it’s what we call second mover advantage – look at what everybody else has done. What mistakes did they make? Try not to repeat those mistakes.”
“We’re not just manufacturing cars in China and sending them to Europe to see what happens,” Thomas says. “We’ve hired some European professionals, got a bank set up, got a marketing plan set up, got a dealer network set up, got a body shop set up, got a training program set up, told the insurance industry we’re coming and we’re working with them. We’ve got a parts warehouse stocked so that when the wing mirror falls off, you don’t write the car off.”
The company already has 20 dealers signed up, with another 20 in progress. “We are building a network of 60 dealers nationwide. We’ve got 20 signed up already and about another 20 in progress and I’d say 10 discussions and a few gaps that we’re working to fill.”
Partners include Lookers, Stoneacre, Ancaster and DM Keith, among others. “We are not taking every shed that’s available. We are talking to the very serious dealer groups, the serious partners, the ones that know how to look after customers, the ones that have proper facilities and properly trained staff.”
That retail approach reflects Changan’s wider ambitions for brand positioning. “Deepal is what I’ll call upper mainstream… It’s that upper mainstream territory but very attractively priced… The Changan cars, which are more, let’s call them family friendly, still very high quality, but lower price points and simpler vehicles.”
The S07 itself is priced at £39,990, with a 295-mile WLTP range from its 80kWh battery and a 30 to 80 per cent charging time of 35 minutes. That range, Thomas says, is perfectly practical. “Yes, there are longer ranges available, but it’s a very, very, very usable range in the real world… I stop for a coffee and then after 20 minutes I drive away.”
And what sets the car apart? “The design stands out and then when people get inside they go, wow, this is really nice. This is high quality… And then you tell them all of that costs less than £40,000 and they start to go, wow, that’s an awful lot of car for the money.”
With initial deliveries beginning this month and a strong UK and European team behind it, Thomas believes the brand is ready. “It’s a great market where people just appreciate a great car.”
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