A new Asian competitor is entering the European automotive market. It is the Chinese group ChangAn, which between this year and 2026 intends to progressively establish a presence in all the major countries of the Old Continent through a commercial expansion plan focused on its Deepal-branded full electric vehicles
The Chinese group ChangAn officially announced its entry into the European automotive market last March. Founded in 1984 in Chongqing, China, the Group is currently one of the country’s top four automotive manufacturers, a position achieved also thanks to strategic joint ventures formed in the past with Ford and Mazda, which enabled it to progressively expand its design and manufacturing expertise. Last year, the company surpassed two and a half million vehicles sold globally. The commercial expansion into Europe is therefore just the latest step in a broader internationalization plan aimed at supporting the ambitious goals of the Asian Group, which this year is targeting more than three million vehicles sold worldwide, with the objective of reaching five million by 2030.
The Old Continent will therefore play a key role in supporting this development plan. The Deepal brand will spearhead the Group’s entry this year in ten markets, mainly concentrated in Central and Northern Europe, before progressively expanding from 2026 into Mediterranean countries such as Italy and Spain. While Deepal will be the brand entrusted with introducing ChangAn’s full electric vehicles to the European market—through models designed to combine technological innovation with competitive purchase costs—the Group’s top management has not disclosed whether its other two brands, ChangAn and Avatr, might also enter Europe in the future. The former offers simple, minimalist electric vehicles, while the latter represents the Chongqing-based company’s premium offering in the high-end full electric segment.
What is certain, however, is the opening of a European commercial headquarters in Munich, Germany, and an assistance and aftermarket hub in the Netherlands, which will serve as a distribution point for the Old Continent’s dealer network. Both operations will complement the Design Center in Rivoli, near Turin, opened by ChangAn in 2003, and the Research and Development Center inaugurated in Nottingham, United Kingdom, in 2010.
Over 1,500 kilometers of range
In addition to designing and manufacturing electric vehicles, the ChangAn Group is currently engaged in the development of next-generation batteries. According to company announcements, new solid-state batteries, named “Jinzhongzhao,” are set to debut in prototype form by the end of this year. The Chinese automaker aims to complete vehicle validation by 2026 and then begin gradual large-scale production by 2027.
Unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries, in which the two electrodes are immersed in a liquid electrolyte, the new generation of batteries features a solid-state electrolyte that also acts as a separator, eliminating the need for a central porous membrane. This enables more efficient energy storage which, according to ChangAn, translates into an energy density of up to 400 watt-hours per kilogram in the Group’s batteries—enough to provide its vehicles with over 1,500 kilometers of range on a single charge.
Towards a strategic merger
The ChangAn Group may soon merge with Dongfeng, another major Chinese automotive group. Fueling speculation about the creation of what would become China’s largest automaker is the simultaneous and formally identical announcement by both companies of organizational restructuring plans that include a review of ownership stakes—though not of state shareholdings.
Dongfeng is directly controlled by the Beijing government through the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, while ChangAn is owned by China South Industries Group, which operates not only in automotive but also in the ammunition and electronics sectors. A merger between Dongfeng and ChangAn would create China’s leading vehicle manufacturer, with more than 4.5 million units sold annually, surpassing Byd, which in 2024 recorded just under 4.3 million vehicles sold.
Title: ChangAn’s Deepal-branded full-electric car: a new Asian competitor in the Eu
Translation with ChatGPT
