Chinese brand Changan is launching the second car in its UK range and its dealer recruitment is progressing well, UK managing director Nic Thomas told Automotive Management this week.
Franchisees already on board in Scotland include Park’s Motor Group and John Clark Motor Group, Nathaniel Cars in Wales, while in England the partners include Ancaster, Bowker Motor Group, DM Keith, JCT600, Lookers and Stoneacre.
The latest additions include Lithia UK, Westaway and Partridge of Hampshire – the latter an AM100 motor retailer which has until now exclusively represented BMW and Mini.
“We have partnered with some really, really strong dealer groups and I’m proud of that,” Thomas told us.
“They have partnered with us because they have seen the quality of the product coming through, they’ve seen the depth of the cycle plan that we’ll have coming through, but also they understand that we’ve built a strong local team. We understand the market, we understand the customer.”
By the end of March there will be 39 Changan dealerships open in the UK. By the close of 2026 Thomas wants a network of around 60 sales points run by about 25 dealer partners and said many of the remaining opportunities are “in the pipeline”.
Nevertheless his network development team are keen to speak with dealer groups looking to take on new brands.
The Deepal S05 C-segment SUV (pictured below) is now being launched to compete for UK electric car buyers, joining the larger Deepal S07 D-segment SUV which was Changan’s first car on sale last year. A plug-in hybrid version will join the line-up later this year, and in 2028 the Nivo Q05 B-segment SUV will arrive in showrooms in pure electric and hybrid variants.
In the long term Changan will have a comprehensive range of electric and plug-in hybrid cars and it aims to become a top 10 brand in the UK’s new car market, with a dealer network of around 100 showrooms.
Thomas was quick to add: “We’re not racing to get there, We’re building at the right speed.”
Although the sight of its cars on UK roads will be new for Britain’s motorists, Changan has had an operation in the UK since 2010, when it opened an R&D centre here focused on low carbon vehicles.