Chinese luxury brand Avatr has been spied testing its 07 mid-size SUV in Australia, and now a larger version of the electric and extended-range electric SUV has been revealed.
The brand – in which Deepal parent company Changan has a 41 per cent stake – has released the first official images of the 07L via Chinese social media, though little in the way of information.
It has the same front-end styling as the regular 07, which Avatr says includes a “UFO-inspired front face”, and still has prominent haunches, but a somewhat less rakish tailgate and more conservative rear-end treatment overall.
The 07L appears longer than the regular 07, which measures 4825mm long, 1980mm wide and up to 1620mm tall on a 2940mm wheelbase, making it 33mm longer, 2mm narrower and 4mm lower than the Tesla Model Y on a 50mm longer wheelbase.
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A right-hand drive Avatr 07 was recently spied in the Melbourne suburb of Point Cook by Matthew Gough. The vehicle was covered in camouflage externally, but had a largely undisguised interior.
Changan reportedly confirmed last year the Avatr brand was coming to Australia, though it’s unclear who will handle distribution.
Deepal is distributed by Inchcape, which also handles Subaru, Peugeot and Foton. The distributor provided no comment when asked by CarExpert if it would also be handling the Avatr brand locally.
Avatr, which has close ties with tech giant Huawei, started producing its first vehicles in 2022, and has launched a new model each year since – all with either pure-electric (EV) or extended-range electric (EREV) powertrains.
Both the 07 and the slightly larger, more coupe-like 11 are already produced in right-hand drive for markets such as Hong Kong and Singapore.
The 07 could serve as the Avatr brand’s rival to the popular Zeekr 7X in Australia, as well as premium electric SUVs such as the Audi Q6 e-tron, Lexus RZ and Cadillac Optiq.
The all-electric version uses an 82.16kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, an 800V electrical system, and a single, rear-mounted electric motor with 252kW of power and 365Nm of torque. The claimed 0-100km/h time is 6.3 seconds, while range is 650km on the CLTC cycle.
In Hong Kong and Singapore, Avatr also lists a dual-motor all-wheel drive variant with total outputs of 440kW and 645Nm, and 545km of range on the NEDC cycle – down 30km on the rear-wheel drive version.
The EREV uses a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, a smaller 39.05kWh LFP battery, and a slightly less powerful (231kW/333Nm) electric motor.
It weighs slightly less at 2225kg, compared to 2315kg for the EV, but takes longer to hit 100km/h from standstill with a claimed time of 6.6 seconds.
All 07s ride on double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension, with brake-by-wire technology from Continental and either 20- or 21-inch alloy wheels. The all-wheel drive 07 Ultra EV adds automatic-levelling air suspension with continuous damping control.
Open the doors – which feature frameless windows and soft-close functionality – and the centrepiece is a 35.4-inch pillar-to-pillar screen. A smaller 15.6-inch touchscreen sits closer to the driver, and the 07 runs Huawei’s HarmonyOS Cockpit operating system.
Inside, there’s a digital rear-view mirror, a panoramic glass roof with a power sunshade, ambient lighting, a 50W wireless phone charger, 16-speaker 1408W Meridian sound system, heated and power-adjustable steering wheel, and 16-way power-adjustable front seats with heating, ventilation and massage.
A total of three millimetre-wave radars, 10 high-definition cameras and 12 ultrasonic radars help power the Huawei Qiankun ADS SE assisted driving system.
There’s a full suite of active safety and driver assist technology including remote parking assist, a surround-view camera with a transparent chassis mode, front and rear cross-traffic assist, and a Level 2+ autonomous driving system.
Avatr’s extensive use of Huawei software raises questions as to whether there will be any changes to its suite of technology in Australia, where the tech giant has been banned from our 5G network.
Changan-developed vehicles are already available in Australia, not only in Deepal showrooms (the E07 Multitruck and S07) but also, soon, in Mazda showrooms.
The Chinese giant has a joint venture with Mazda, with the upcoming 6e electric sedan and CX-6e electric SUV developed by Changan Mazda.
When Avatr launches here, it’ll join a growing contingent of premium Chinese brands as automakers from the world’s biggest auto market continue to expand their focus from cheap and cheerful offerings.
BYD commenced deliveries of vehicles from its Denza brand this year, while Geely’s Zeekr brand is enjoying sales success with its 7X mid-size electric SUV and has more expensive SUVs in the pipeline for our market.
MORE: Luxury electric car brand Avatr targeting right-hand drive markets