As promised, Changan has launched its premium electric SUV, the Avatr 11, in Thailand. For those of you who haven’t heard of the Avatr brand, it’s a joint venture with battery maker CATL, competing against brands like Tesla, Nio and Zeekr.
There’s certainly no shortage of ambition, particularly when it comes to pricing. Two rear-wheel-drive variants are being made available in the Land of Smiles – the 2,099,000 baht (RM268,200) Standard Range and the 2,299,000 baht (RM293,700) Long Range, both of which are significantly more expensive than the equivalent Tesla Model Y.
This is despite the fact that both 11 models feature the same rear motor producing 313 PS (230 kW) and 370 Nm of torque, getting the car from zero to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds (6.6 seconds for the Long Range) on its way to a top speed of 200 km/h.
Instead, Avatr offers a choice of two nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery options – a 90.38 kWh unit in the Standard Range model with a range of 575 km, and a massive 116.79 kWh pack that enables the Long Range version to travel up to 680 km on a single charge. These figures are on the rather lenient NEDC cycle, however, so expect real-world range to be significantly lower.
More impressive, especially for a Chinese EV, are the charging speeds. Thanks to a 750-volt electrical architecture, the 11 can support up to 240 kW of DC fast charging, so topping up the battery from 30 to 80% charge takes just 15 minutes for the Standard Range model and 25 minutes for the Long Range. Unfortunately, AC charging only goes up to 11 kW, although that’s still higher than most other Chinese rivals.
Where the 11 truly stands out is in its design. The car certainly looks different from other SUVs, being more sports car-like with its low-slung roofline, a recessed vertical rear windscreen that creates dramatic-looking twin buttresses, and separate rear boot. Highlights include dramatic C-shaped headlights, an upswept window line, full-width taillights and an active rear spoiler.
The doors are also noteworthy – they come with a soft-close function as standard, but the Long Range goes one further with powered doors that open and close automatically. Further differentiating the two variants are the alloy wheels – 21-inch two-tone units on the Standard Range, 22-inch multi-spoke rollers on the Long Range.
Inside, the 11 is just as showy as the exterior, with a flowing dashboard design that juts outwards in the centre and four bucket-like seats upholstered in Nappa leather – with either a chevron or quilted pattern. You also get a panoramic glass roof and power-adjustable front seats with memory, ventilation and a one-touch lie-flat function that even includes powered ottomans.
The highlight, however, is most definitely tech. The 11 comes with no less than three displays – a 10.25-inch instrument display, a 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen and a second 10.25-inch touchscreen for the front passenger. What’s interesting is that, in China at least, Huawei provides the software the car runs on, including its Harmony OS, although it’s unclear if the Thai models run on the same system.
This also includes the voice control, which is visually represented through the illuminated “vortex” behind the centre screen. The 11 enables passengers in each of the four outer seats to talk to the car, and the system recognises both English and Thai. You also get a 25-speaker Meridian sound system as standard.
Safety-wise, the 11 comes chock-full of driver assists, which is unsurprising given that Huawei has also provided a full stack of semi-autonomous driving technologies. These include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centring assist, lane change assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert with auto brake and rear collision warning. However, Thailand misses out on the lidar sensors available in China, which enable even greater autonomy.
Will the Avatr 11 make its way to Malaysia? That remains to be seen, given that Changan’s right-hand-drive vehicles – which will be exported out of a forthcoming plant in Rayong – have only been earmarked for countries like Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and the UK for now. However, Chinese companies do work very fast, so we wouldn’t be surprised if plans to sell cars here get firmed up sooner or later.
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