Changan is bringing a second brand to Australia, confirming that AVATR will launch here with the 07L electric SUV, with pre-orders opening before the end of 2026 and first deliveries targeted for the first half of 2027.
The right-hand-drive 07L will be revealed ahead of pre-orders. It is the first AVATR model confirmed for the Australian market.
The release does not say how the brand will be retailed. Asked when dealers would be appointed, Changan Group Australia head of brand and marketing Andrew Haurissa, who ran marketing for Zeekr’s Australian launch, told AutoTalk the announcements are close.
“Based on the timing of those releases, with delivery early next year, you’ll probably get announcements on multi-franchise dealer appointments before the end of the year,” Haurissa says.
AVATR will be launched separately from Deepal, Changan’s existing Australian brand, which Inchcape Australia was appointed to distribute in September 2024 alongside Peugeot, Subaru and the Foton ute.
“We are focused on launching AVATR first and foremost, with any future releases in discussion,” Haurissa says.
“But for the foreseeable future, Inchcape will keep Deepal in Australia.”
He says the two brands sit at different levels of the group, and that AVATR’s ownership structure is the reason it is being stood up as a separate operation.
“AVATR sits above Deepal within the Changan Group. It’s actually a joint venture with CATL, so we have to launch that separately,” Haurissa says.
Deepal recorded 45 Australian sales in August and 861 for the year to date.
“Australia is an important market for AVATR. Australian customers are sophisticated, discerning and increasingly open to brands that challenge traditional automotive conventions,” Changan Group Australia general manager Bryan Guan says.
What is confirmed, and what is not
Globally the 07L runs an 800V silicon carbide electric architecture with CATL battery technology, a Meridian audio system and the company’s AVATR OS operating system, which it says will be localised for Australia.
Australian specification is almost entirely open. The company says local powertrain, battery, charging, range and performance figures will be confirmed ahead of launch, along with equipment levels and the functionality of its driver assistance systems, which are subject to local certification. No pricing has been indicated.
AVATR was established in 2018 and runs its design studio in Munich under Nader Faghizadeh, who has shaped the brand’s design language since the AVATR 11 debuted in 2022. The company positions itself on what it calls Emotive Luxury, and says it has a growing presence across Asia and Europe.
Haurissa’s previous brand offers the closest local precedent. Zeekr made its Australian debut in late 2024 and recorded 2,120 sales in August this year against 88 in the same month last year, for 10,070 year to date.
Chinese brands took 26.4% of the Australian market in August and five of the top 10 places, though that volume sits almost entirely in mainstream segments. AVATR arrives aimed above them.
