New ChangAn Deepal S07 is the latest Chinese EV to challenge the Tesla Model Y

ChangAn is the latest Chinese automotive giant looking to claim its slice of the UK car market, and it isn’t waiting around for Brits to get familiar with its name or how it’s spelt. Next month, the brand will launch an all-electric SUV here that aims to rival the best-selling, recently refreshed Tesla Model Y. 

You might not have heard of ChangAn before, but it’s been around for more than 40 years and is now one of the largest car manufacturers in China. It has joint ventures with Ford and Mazda in its domestic market, plus an R&D centre here in the UK in Birmingham.

Much like fellow Chinese firm Chery, owner of the Omoda and Jaecoo brands that recently launched in the UK, ChangAn operates several marques, including Deepal, which sold nearly a quarter of a million EVs last year alone.

The Deepal S07 is a mid-size electric SUV that was launched in China in 2023, and is now leading the charge for the brand’s expansion into Europe, which is set to begin later this month in Germany, then the UK in April. 

Designed in Italy, the Deepal S07 has been given a look that is intended to be dynamic and sleek, while its minimalist interior is dominated by a huge 15.6-inch central touchscreen. The car has achieved the maximum five-star crash-test safety rating from industry expert Euro NCAP, and is equipped with numerous driver assistance systems.

The Deepal S07 is powered by a 215bhp rear-mounted e-motor and a sizeable 80kWh battery, although it only offers an official range of up to 295 miles. For context, the most efficient version of the updated Model Y can cover up to 387 miles in one go, and even the base car has a 311-mile range.

The starting price of the Deepal S07 will be exactly €45,000 in Europe, which should equate to a price tag of around £40,000 in the UK. If so, that would allow the newcomer to undercut the Model Y, but put it within spitting distance of highly rated family EVs such as the Renault Scenic and Hyundai Ioniq 5, plus the XPeng G6 which also just arrived here from China. 

But even before a single Deepal S07 has been sold in Europe, it’s been announced that the smaller, more affordable Deepal S05 SUV is also coming here with a choice of pure-electric or range-extender hybrid powertrains. Exactly when has not yet been revealed, though. 

It’s also unclear how the Deepal S07 will be sold over here, but we’re assuming the brand will rely on more traditional franchise dealerships. According to Leevon Tian, deputy general manager of ChangAn’s European holding company: “We have carefully selected partners who share our commitment to customer service excellence and have deep experience in their local markets.”

He added: “We are launching our European spare parts hub in the Netherlands, which will serve as the central distribution point for the dealer network, while there are more in planning. This infrastructure ensures that we can provide comprehensive sales and after-sales support from day one.”

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