Changan Auto from China has been conducting market research in India for some years now and is likely to make India debut by 2022-23 with EVs being a focus for the brand.
You probably will not have heard about Changan Auto before, but here’s another Chinese automaker who is soon going to make an India entry, most likely by 2022-2023. Changan Auto started researching the Indian market only a few years ago which included visits to India and appointment of distributors. They will join other Chinese automakers in India which includes MG Motors (SAIC) and Great Wall Motors, the latter of which also confirmed their India entry lately.
One of Changan Auto’s first product in India will be the CS 75 Plus SUV. This SUV is 4.7 meters long and would fit in the mid-size SUV segment in India. A newer version of the CS 75 Plus SUV is also one of Changan’s best selling SUV in China. It comes with multiple seating configurations and at least two engine options – a 1.5-litre petrol and a 2.0-litre petrol unit.
The CS 75 Plus is a C-segment SUV and along with that, there are also talks of Changan bringing the CS 35, the smallest SUV in their lineup. This SUV is a five-seater and measures to around 4.2m in length. Changan Auto may make some modifications to this SUV to make it suit Indian taste better. So the SUV could effectively be reduced to a length under 4 meters to help it qualify for a lower excise slab. Moreover, there could be some tweaks to the interiors along with a long list of features as well.
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Many Chinese OEMs, including Changan, have developed strong EV technologies. This could give them a competitive advantage and a better opportunity as the Indian government has been advancing the case to EVs for out market. Changan has also developed and demonstrated its capability in autonomous driving technology development. A few years ago, two of its autonomous driving cars did a 2,000km Chongqing-Beijing drive successfully.
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The company has set up a liaison office in Delhi and has roped in G Sanjay – an auto industry professional who has had stints with major automotive manufacturers in India – to help build the commercial team.
