Another Chinese auto giant is coming to Australia: Changan and luxury Avatr prepare EV and PHEV assault
Chinese automotive giant Changan is preparing to launch two brands in Australia, with its mainstream namesake marque and luxury Avatr both set to bring new electrified models our way.
Changan is recruiting locally for a factory-backed Australian operation covering both brands, with one advertised role specifically referencing development of an “Avatr/Changan sales and service network”.
Exactly which models will come here and when sales will begin are yet to be confirmed, but Changan has an extensive range of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models to choose from.
READ MORE: Yep, yet another Chinese brand is coming to Australia: Luxury Avatr confirmed with its line-up of SUV and saloon EVs and range extenders.
READ MORE: 2025 Deepal G318 Review: Meet the Toyota Prado’s worst nightmare. This Chinese range extender can shake up the diesel-dominated Aussie 4WD market
READ MORE: Newcomer Chinese EV brand Deepal sizes up Tesla, BYD, Zeekr and Xpeng
Avatr, meanwhile, specialises in premium electrified vehicles and offers both pure-electric and range-extender powertrains.
The arrival of the two brands would represent another significant expansion of the Chinese automotive industry in Australia as Changan is no small player.
The state-owned automotive group sold 2.913 million vehicles globally in 2025, including 1.109 million new-energy vehicles, while 637,000 vehicles were sold outside China.
Changan’s name might not be familiar to most Australian buyers, but the company is already represented here through other brands.
It owns Deepal, which is distributed locally by Inchcape and sells the S07 electric SUV and E07 Multitruck.
Changan has also developed the rugged G318 range-extender off-roader, which has previously been evaluated for Australia, although a local launch has not been confirmed.
There is another Changan connection through Mazda.
The two companies operate the Changan Mazda joint venture in China, which has developed and builds the new Mazda6e electric liftback and CX-6e electric SUV.
Both are headed to Australia and use Changan-derived architecture closely related to Deepal models, meaning Changan-developed EV technology will already be on Australian roads before the company’s own badge arrives.
Avatr will give Changan a dedicated luxury offering in Australia, playing a similar role to Zeekr within the Geely empire and Denza within BYD.
Changan is Avatr’s largest shareholder with a stake of about 41 per cent, while battery giant CATL is another major investor and Huawei is a key technology partner.
Its line-up includes the 06 sedan, 07 SUV, 11 coupe-SUV and 12 liftback, with battery-electric and range-extender powertrains offered across the range.
The Avatr 07 shapes as an obvious Australian candidate after a right-hand-drive example of the mid-size SUV was photographed testing in Melbourne earlier in 2026.
Avatr’s strategy also follows the increasingly familiar Chinese affordable-luxury formula: use the scale, technology and manufacturing capabilities of a huge parent company to challenge established premium brands with high specification levels and aggressive pricing.
Geely-owned Zeekr has already established itself locally with models including the X, 7X and 009, while BYD is pushing further upmarket with Denza.
Australian launch timing, pricing and model line-ups for Changan and Avatr remain unconfirmed.
