Chinese carmaker Changan has confirmed its Avatr subsidiary is coming to Australia, with its all-electric 07L SUV set for local release in the first half of 2027.
Avatr is Changan’s “premium intelligent automotive brand built around Emotive Luxury”. Chasing Cars has seen a prototype Avatr on the road in northwest Sydney.
Australia’s first and only confirmed Avatr, the 07L electric SUV is categorically large at 4910mm long, 1650mm high and 1980mm wide, roughly matching the likes of BMW iX5.
Though pricing is speculative before Avatr opens orders at year’s end, in China prices start at CN¥230,000, or roughly AU$49,000 – a third of the BMW’s price.
The Avatr 07L is styled under design director Nader Faghihzadeh, formerly of BMW, with Avatr’s line-up being highly streamlined, monolithic, and openly inspired by UFOs.
Despite offering other models overseas, the 07L is currently the only one confirmed for Australian release.
Under the skin lies an 800-volt electrical system. Australian specs have yet to be detailed, but Chinese-market 07Ls have an 89.3kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery, powering either a single, rear-wheel-drive 305kW motor, or an all-wheel-drive tri-motor setup (one front, two rear) making 712kW.
Air suspension is standard, and 30-to-80 percent charging in 10 minutes is claimed, or roughly 14 minutes using the more commonly advertised 10-80 percent measure.
Changan uses the Avatr brand as a tech showcase in collaboration with Huawei, and this shows inside with the proprietary Avatr OS, whose most striking feature in China is a virtual red panda acting as the voice control, as well as a full-width display below the windshield, as per recent BMWs.
Avatr will localise the OS for Australia, so the red panda might not survive the journey. A Meridian sound system will also be offered here.
A 735L boot (1645L with the back seats folded) is joined by a 100L front boot.
Not all tech may come to Australia
The panda is one of several attention-grabbing features that may not come to Australia
In China, cameras can replace both the side and rear mirrors. Reclining seats all around can fold into a three-square-metre bed. A karaoke function displays lyrics under the windshield.
To aid parallel parking, a function turns the rear wheels in opposite directions while keeping the front wheels still, dragging the 07L sideways into a spot.
Mazdavatr
Changan and Avatr may be new names to Australia – local presence is formerly Changan Group Australia and Avatr Australia, respectively – but the company isn’t, having been established in 2018.
Mazda has a longstanding joint venture with Changan for the Chinese market. Australians get two products of that joint venture – the 6e sedan and CX-6e SUV.
The loosely related Mazda CX-6e
The Mazdas share underpinnings with the Changan brand already sold here: Deepal, makers of the S07 SUV and the unconventional E07 ‘multitruck’.
Avatr will open 07L pre-orders by the end of 2026, and aims for first Australian deliveries in the first half of 2027.
