Chinese carmaker Changan is targeting a 5% market share to break into the top 10 by 2030 with plan to sign up 60 dealers by year-end, growing to 100 sites within three years.
While the UK has already seen several Chinese brands arrive in quick succession – from BYD and Xpeng to GWM and Leapmotor – Changan is charting a different path.
Its European ambitions have been quietly maturing for nearly two decades, supported by global R&D and design centres, including a key UK engineering base in Birmingham and a European design studio in Turin.
“We’ve had a global strategy since the early 2000s, but it’s about doing things at the right pace,” said Nic Thomas, Changan UK managing director and former Nissan marketing director, in an exclusive interview with AM sister title Fleet News.
That pace is now moving rapidly. The Deepal SO7, a mid-size, all-electric SUV priced under £40,000, will be the brand’s UK debut model, arriving this September. It’s the first in a wave of EVs, plug-in hybrids and hybrids from Changan’s trio of brands – Deepal, Changan, and the high-end Avatr.
Thomas, who has spent the past 18 months establishing the UK business, said the firm has the infrastructure, product pipeline and investment to scale fast.
A parts warehouse, training centre, and strategic relationships with insurers, leasing firms and finance providers are already in place. Dealer appointments are imminent as the first shipment of right-hand drive SO7s arrives this month.
The SO7 will launch with a single, fully-loaded trim level, offering a 295-mile WLTP range from an 80kWh battery and minimal configuration complexity.
A smaller SUV, the Deepal SO5, will follow later this year, priced from the mid-£30,000s, with plug-in hybrid and electric variants. A mid-size SUV is planned for 2026.
From 2026, vehicles will also wear the Changan badge, targeting the budget-conscious family SUV market with entry-level pricing from the low £20,000s.
Avatr will complete the line-up with premium electric saloons and SUVs, including models co-developed with battery giant CATL, which is also a joint venture partner.
Changan’s UK product range will focus initially on B to D segment SUVs, but Thomas hinted at potential expansion into estates, hatchbacks, vans and pick-ups. All models will share a focus on quality, connectivity and user-centric design.
“We’ve learned from other brands who launched before us,” said Thomas, who plans to have 60 dealers signed by year-end, growing to 100 sites within three years. “We’re combining China’s speed and scale with European expertise to deliver quality at pace.”
That blend is evident at Changan’s Birmingham R&D centre, where engineers recalibrated the SO7’s suspension for UK roads in just three months. “I’ve never seen that speed at a Western OEM,” said Thomas.
Looking ahead, Changan is actively evaluating options for a European manufacturing plant, with a commitment to local production and sourcing by 2030. This would support its global sales target of 1.2 million units outside China by the end of the decade – double its current figure.
In the UK, fleet sales will play a major role, projected to account for 40-50% of volumes. Thomas expects BEV models to perform strongly, particularly in salary sacrifice and leasing channels.
“We want to be a significant volume brand by 2027 and top 10 by 2030,” said Thomas. “To get there, we need to hit 100,000 sales. We have the back-up, the team, the products and the investment to do this.”