Is Mazda’s Chinese partner coming to Australia? Changan set to launch “premium automotive brand”

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Evidence is building that Changan Automobile plans to expand its Australian footprint in the near future.

Though the name may be new to Australians, the state-owned Chinese conglomerate already sells cars here – the Mazda 6e (pictured above) and, shortly, the Mazda CX-6e. Changan has a longstanding joint venture with Mazda for the Chinese market, and for the first time, cars spawned from the collaboration are being exported outside China.

One of Changan’s sub-brands, Deepal, is already in Australia through distributor Inchcape, best known as Subaru’s Australian distributor. Deepal sells its S07 SUV and E07 ute-coupé-SUV-crossover mash-up already, and plans to introduce the smaller S05 SUV.

What do we know?

This isn’t the first time Changan has quietly sought Australian personnel, with a flurry of LinkedIn ads appearing in June 2024. This ultimately preceded the launch of Deepal.

Changan has now advertised three Sydney-based jobs, the most recent on Friday. They strongly imply Changan’s Avatr subsidiary is bound for Australia.

Avatr is a proper subsidiary rather than a sub-brand – Changan is the majority shareholder, but with a significant minority shareholding by CATL, the world’s largest EV battery manufacturer. 

Avatr also has a close relationship with Huawei, and the brand is used by both Changan and Huawei as a tech showcase.

What Avatr cars could come to Australia?

Internationally, the Avatr line-up is composed of purely electric cars and EVs with range extenders (petrol engines that act as generators).

Said line-up comprises the 06 mid-size sedan/wagon, the 07 mid-size SUV, the 11 flagship coupé-SUV and the 12 flagship sedan. Air suspension is offered even on the smaller 06.

There’s no official word on which models are Australia-bound. Though the 07 mid-size SUV would be ideal for Australian tastes, the resurgence of station wagons (Cupra Leon Sportstourer, BMW M3 Touring, BYD Seal 6) opens the door to the 06 too.

By using alternatives to steel, Avatr makes a bold (but at this stage unverifiable) claim that its EV platform is 30 percent lighter than other carmakers’.

Changan hopes to position Avatr upmarket, partly through collaborations with the fashion industry.

Though it’s far too soon to judge the cars’ quality, there’s no doubt they’ll stand out. Under design director Nader Faghihzadeh, formerly of BMW, Avatr’s line-up is highly streamlined, monolithic, and openly inspired by UFOs.

Refreshingly, right-hand-drive markets appear to have been in mind from Avatr’s outset, with the brand already sold in Thailand, Singapore and Sri Lanka.

Though the job listings raise the possibility of Changan selling cars under its own name in Australia, evidence points to Avatr being the short-term focus.

New brand, old sales

Changan’s Seek ad for a Network Development Manager reveals it won’t be following Honda and Mercedes-Benz down the agency-model sales path. Instead, Changan intends to sell via franchised dealerships in the traditional manner.

Though this removes the price certainty of the agency approach, it allows customers to negotiate, which might persuade some to take a punt on an unknown brand.

The hiring suggests that Changan is in the early stages of local introduction with an official launch unlikely before late 2027, but with already-established connections in Mazda and Inchcape, it could be in a position to move quickly.