Changan is one of China's largest carmakers, with a handful of sub-brands under its belt.
The name references the ancient city of Chang'an (now Xi'an), which was the capital of several Chinese dynasties.
Like many Chinese companies, Changan has now started exporting cars to the UK. This guide will introduce you to the brand and the cars it's likely to send our way.
Who owns Changan cars?
Changan is fully owned by the Chinese government. It's run by the memorably named State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC).
Along with its own cars, Changan also operates joint-venture companies with Ford and Mazda. These mainly produce branded cars for the local Chinese market, but the Changan-built Mazda 6e is sold here in the UK.
It's also the main shareholder in the Avatr brand, which also includes leading battery maker CATL and technology from Huawei.
What cars does Changan make?
At the time of writing, Changan offers two car models in the UK. These both come from its Deepal lineup, which is technically a Changan EV sub-brand in its home market.
Changan Deepal S05
The Deepal S05 is the smaller of Changan's SUV options. Despite this, it's still a fairly sizeable five-seater EV with a similar footprint to the Ford Kuga and Volkswagen Tiguan.
Read our Changan Deepal S05 review
Changan Deepal S07
The S07 retains the two-row, five-seat layout of the S05, but stretches the body out further. This unlocks a bit more passenger space and a larger cargo area.
Read our Changan Deepal S07 review
What other brands does Changan own?
Changan
As mentioned, the Changan cars we're getting in the UK and Europe are actually from its Deepal sub-brand. It also makes fully Changan-branded cars that, unlike Deepal models, often still use petrol and plug-in-hybrid engines.
Changan Nevo
The Changan Nevo lineup is a more affordable range of cars. Most models are fully electric, but a few come with plug-in-hybrid or petrol engines.
Avatr
Avatr is a joint-venture between Changan and CATL – the world's largest battery maker. The lineup is composed of high-end electric cars featuring technology from Huawei.
Where are Changan cars made?
The vast majority of Changan's cars are made in factories in China, including in its home city of Chongqing. This allows it to achieve the large economies of scale that keeps its prices so competitive.
It'll probably expand its manufacturing footprint as its foreign exports grow, building cars closer to the end customer to cut transport costs. Changan currently owns a UK research and development centre in Birmingham, helping it to optimise its cars for the local market.
Are Changan cars reliable?
Changan cars haven't been on the UK's roads long enough to get a clear idea of how they stand up to our weather and traffic conditions. We've driven Changan's current UK lineup, however, and have no reason to doubt the quality of the build or materials in the models we drove.
To help encourage early adopters, Changan includes a seven-year, 100,000-mile factory warranty with its cars. That's four years longer than the industry average and matches similar offers from Chery, Jaecoo, Omoda and MG. The high-voltage battery packs in its EVs are covered against excessive degradation for eight years.
Are Changan cars any good?
Like virtually all the new Chinese brands arriving in the UK, Changan's cars are very impressive on the surface. Material and build quality appears solid, standard equipment is generous, and the price tag is often thousands of pounds less than rivals from traditional brands.
We've tried both the S05 and S07, and came away with few complaints. Comfort and space impresses, as does the comprehensive infotainment setup. On the other hand, we reckon the lineup could do with more distinctive styling and some more driver appeal wouldn't go amiss.
