{"id":70567,"date":"2025-09-23T16:18:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T20:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/changan-leads-rapid-uk-launch-with-deepal-s07-electric-suv-and-agile-market-strategy\/"},"modified":"2025-09-23T16:18:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T20:18:07","slug":"changan-leads-rapid-uk-launch-with-deepal-s07-electric-suv-and-agile-market-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/changan-leads-rapid-uk-launch-with-deepal-s07-electric-suv-and-agile-market-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"Changan leads rapid UK launch with Deepal S07 electric SUV and agile market strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"

How Are Chinese Car Brands Like Changan and Chery Shaking Up the UK Market So Quickly?<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been keeping an eye on the UK automotive scene, you might have noticed something remarkable: two new Chinese car brands, Changan and Chery, are making their debut in the UK this month. But this isn\u2019t just about launching a couple of new models\u2014it\u2019s about a seismic shift in how car companies operate, innovate, and connect with customers. So, what\u2019s fueling this rapid rise, and what does it mean for drivers and the industry as a whole?<\/p>\n

What Does \u2018China Speed\u2019 Really Mean for Car Buyers?<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve probably heard the phrase \u2018China speed\u2019 tossed around, but it\u2019s more than just a catchy slogan. In the context of the car industry, it\u2019s about moving from concept to showroom at a pace that leaves traditional manufacturers scrambling to keep up. For Changan, this isn\u2019t just a marketing line\u2014it\u2019s a lived reality.<\/p>\n

Nic Thomas, Changan\u2019s UK boss, described his whirlwind journey from being a one-man band at the start of 2024\u2014handling everything from high-stakes negotiations to the most mundane office tasks\u2014to launching the \u00a340,000 Deepal S07 electric SUV in just 18 months. That\u2019s not a typo. Eighteen months from zero to a full-scale UK launch, complete with a network of 20 dealerships.<\/p>\n

The outcome? Game-changing. For customers, this means access to the latest tech and design, delivered faster than ever before. For competitors, it\u2019s a wake-up call.<\/p>\n

How Are Changan and Chery Building Trust and Infrastructure So Fast?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one thing to launch a car. It\u2019s another to build an entire company around it. Both Changan and Chery have gone all-in, setting up extensive dealer networks, robust parts supply chains, and even working with industry leaders like CAP (for residual values) and Thatcham (to ensure their cars are easy and affordable to repair).<\/p>\n

Why does this matter? Because it addresses the two biggest concerns UK buyers have about new brands: reliability and support. By investing in local infrastructure and collaborating with trusted partners, these companies are showing they\u2019re here for the long haul\u2014not just a quick sales spike.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Behind the Lightning-Fast Product Development?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about innovation. Changan\u2019s team of 100 engineers in Birmingham managed to completely redesign the Deepal S07\u2019s suspension for the UK market in just three months. To put that in perspective, legacy carmakers might take three years to make similar changes as part of a mid-cycle update.<\/p>\n

Gary Lan, Chery\u2019s UK CEO, points out that being a direct subsidiary of the parent company in China\u2014not just a distributor\u2014gives them the agility to respond to customer feedback and market demands almost instantly. Case in point: the Omoda 5 SUV is being reengineered and relaunched in the UK after just a year on sale, based on real-world reviews and feedback.<\/p>\n

This kind of responsiveness isn\u2019t just impressive\u2014it\u2019s unprecedented. According to a 2023 report from JATO Dynamics, Chinese automakers have reduced their average product development cycle to under 24 months, compared to the global industry average of 36-48 months. That\u2019s a huge advantage in a market where consumer preferences and technology are evolving at breakneck speed.<\/p>\n

How Are Established Brands Responding to the Challenge?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to assume that the real competition is between Changan, Chery, and other Chinese brands. But the bigger story is how these newcomers are forcing established European and Japanese automakers to rethink their own playbooks.<\/p>\n

Nic Thomas summed it up perfectly after attending the Shanghai auto show: while his former colleagues were excited about launching a single new model, Changan had just rolled out five\u2014with five more in the pipeline. Thanks to massive economies of scale, they can offer competitive pricing that\u2019s tough for legacy brands to match.<\/p>\n

The challenge for established players isn\u2019t just about keeping up with technology or design. It\u2019s about matching the sheer speed and flexibility of these new entrants. And that\u2019s no small feat.<\/p>\n

What Does This Mean for UK Drivers?<\/p>\n

For UK car buyers, this is all good news. More competition means better choices, faster innovation, and potentially lower prices. The Deepal S07, for example, isn\u2019t just another electric SUV\u2014it\u2019s a symbol of how quickly the market is changing. Designed in Italy, engineered in the UK, and built to meet the specific needs of British drivers, it\u2019s a global effort that delivers real value.<\/p>\n

And with both Changan and Chery investing heavily in aftersales support, parts availability, and insurance partnerships, the old worries about buying from a new brand are quickly fading.<\/p>\n

Looking Ahead: Is This the New Normal for the Car Industry?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s clear that the arrival of Changan and Chery in the UK isn\u2019t just a blip\u2014it\u2019s the start of a new era. The combination of \u2018China speed,\u2019 global design and engineering, and a relentless focus on customer needs is rewriting the rules of the game.<\/p>\n

For drivers, that means more exciting choices and a faster pace of innovation. For the industry, it\u2019s a challenge\u2014and an opportunity\u2014to rethink what\u2019s possible. One thing\u2019s for sure: the days of waiting years for the next big thing in cars are over. The future is arriving faster than ever, and it\u2019s coming from some unexpected directions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"Changan<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Changan Deepal S07 was designed in Italy and engineered in the UK<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The catchphrase ‘China speed’ doesn’t just apply to R&D but also how the firms operate<\/p>\n

\n

Not one but\u00a0two new Chinese car brands will be launched in the UK this month: Chery<\/a> and Changan<\/a>. After rapid improvements in design, engineering, technology and branding by Chinese car companies, now comes the scale of their market-readiness.<\/p>\n

Chery and Changan have created not just cars but fully fledged car companies too. Both have built large physical dealer networks; set up parts supply chains and warehouses; and worked closely with CAP on residual values and with Thatcham on ensuring cars are easy to repair and therefore cheaper to insure.<\/p>\n

For Nic Thomas, UK boss of Changan, the risk is simply \u201cwhat did I forget?\u201d, given the level of preparation that has gone into Changan\u2019s UK launch.<\/p>\n

At the start of 2024, it was just him \u201cdoing everything from negotiating with the chairman of a very large European car company to changing the soap in the toilets\u201d. Little over 18 months later, Changan is ready to go, starting with the launch of its \u00a340,000 Deepal S07<\/a> electric SUV in 20 dealers.<\/p>\n

Thomas told me: \u201cYou\u2019re not part of a massive machine that is a legacy European car company that you can\u2019t turn. You\u2019re working at \u2018China speed\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gary Lan is Chery\u2019s UK CEO and highlights that being a subsidiary of the mothership in China rather than a distributor gives it a key advantage in reacting to market demands and making better cars.<\/p>\n

He cites the example\u00a0of the imminent reengineering and relaunch<\/a> of Chery-brand Omoda\u2019s 5<\/a> in the UK after just a year on sale. \u201cWe can improve our products quickly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Thomas has his own experience of that: \u201cI\u2019ve worked around the world \u2013 in Japan, in the US. I\u2019ve never seen product development capability on this scale before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Changan can go from sketch to car on the road in two years. In terms of improvements, its team of 100 engineers in Birmingham completely redesigned and redeveloped the suspension of the S07 from its Chinese spec to make it UK-friendly in just three months.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf that was a legacy company, in three years there would be a mid-cycle action and then you can do some new suspension,\u201d said Thomas.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe challenge is for the established companies [to compete with Chinese brands, not vice versa]. They haven\u2019t got the product portfolio and speed of product development you see in China.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thomas recalls being at the Shanghai show this year and bumping into former colleagues excited about launching a new car. He thought to himself: \u201cThat\u2019s great\u2026 We\u2019ve just launched five. And we\u2019ve got five more coming. Look at the pricing we can deliver because of the economies of scale. That\u2019s the challenge to those car companies. It\u2019s not about Chinese brands fighting each other: it\u2019s how the market opens up.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":70568,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,137],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-70567","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-featured","8":"category-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70567"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70567\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}