Changan Automobile Hits a 9-Year Sales High, Plans 8 New Models for 2026 – Which Ones Are Worth Waiting For?
Share
The Chinese automotive market turned into a cut-throat battleground in 2025 with a fierce price war raging on, yet one automaker still notched a near 9-year sales high – that’s Changan Automobile.
Let’s start with two solid hard figures: Changan sold a total of 2,913,000 vehicles in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 8.54%. Its self-owned brand accounted for 2,468,000 units, up 10.86% year-on-year. Such a brand record is undoubtedly the result of Changan getting a lot of things right in 2025.
In a nutshell: Changan Automobile has finally caught up with the new energy transition!
Its "Shangri-La" new energy strategy is far from an empty slogan. The company’s three new energy pillars – Changan Origin, Deepal and Avatr – each play their own part: Origin focuses on cost-effectiveness, Deepal caters to young consumers, and Avatr targets the high-end market. Ultimately, Changan’s new energy vehicle sales hit 1,109,000 units in 2025, a staggering year-on-year surge of 51.1%, accounting for 38.1% of its total sales.
This means Changan is no longer the old player relying solely on fuel vehicles, but has truly hopped on the new energy bandwagon – and secured a prime seat on it.
Today, in the 8th episode of our 2026 New Car Outlook series, we’re focusing on Changan Automobile to explore what new moves it has up its sleeve after solidifying its foothold in the new energy sector.
First and foremost is technological advancement. Its intelligent strategy "Beidou Tianshu 2.0" will serve as the cornerstone for all new and facelifted models.
The most notable highlight is Tianshu ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System), which has obtained China’s first official L3 autonomous driving license, giving Changan a first-mover advantage in legal on-road deployment. The system offers three packages – Basic, LiDAR Fusion and Flagship – covering models across different price ranges. Even the Origin Q05, priced under RMB 100,000, comes equipped with a LiDAR. It’s therefore safe to say that LiDAR is likely to become a standard feature on Changan’s new energy vehicles priced above RMB 100,000 in 2026.
Another technological focus is the all-solid-state battery, codenamed "Golden Bell Jar", which boasts an energy density of 400Wh/kg and a claimed driving range of over 1,500 kilometers.
It should be noted, however, that the battery will only undergo on-vehicle verification this year, and mass production is still some way off. For those planning to buy a car in the next year or two, there’s no need to agonize over "waiting for the all-solid-state battery" – it won’t be widely available anytime soon.
Turning to overseas expansion: BYD has raised its 2026 overseas sales target to 1,300,000 units, with a current net profit of approximately RMB 20,000 per vehicle sold overseas – three times that of domestic sales. This lucrative market is driving every automaker to go global.
Changan Automobile’s overseas sales reached 637,000 units in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 18.9%, with a 2026 target of 750,000 units. In the long run, Changan harbors great ambitions: it aims for overseas sales to account for more than 30% of its total sales by 2030.
Under Changan’s 2026 product plan, 8 new models are set to launch, with a relatively prudent rollout strategy. Below is a brand-by-brand breakdown of the new models for Changan’s self-owned brand only:
Changan Core Brand
As the mainstay of Changan Automobile, it achieved sales of 919,000 units in 2025, accounting for nearly one-third of the company’s total sales. No all-new models will be launched this year, with the focus shifting to hybrid powertrains. Flagship models including the Eado, CS75 and UNI series will receive annual facelifts, featuring full hybrid electrification and an upgraded pure electric range (expected to exceed 200km). They will also be equipped with Tianshu ADAS. The sole goal: to match the pricing of fuel vehicles and scale up Changan’s hybrid vehicle business.
Changan Origin
Targeting mainstream family users and focusing on high cost-effectiveness, Changan Origin has been more aggressive than Geely and BYD in downgrading high-end configurations to more affordable models. It achieved 411,000 sales in 2025, a year-on-year jump of 42.6%. Currently, it has 6 passenger car models on sale, with a relatively limited product coverage. Its core task for 2026 is to fill product gaps, though there are no plans for a large 6-seat SUV at present.
- Changan Origin Q06: Positioned as a mid-size SUV, it fills the gap between the Q05 and Q07, offering pure electric and extended-range electric versions. Officially designated a "volume model", it is expected to be priced at a mainstream range of around RMB 100,000.
- All-New Changan Origin A05: Sharing upgrades with the all-new Q05, it features a through-type light strip, an extended wheelbase, a Tianshu intelligent cockpit, and Tianshu ADAS with a single LiDAR.
- Changan Lumin 4-Door Version: With a 3.5-meter body and an extended wheelbase of 2.2 meters, it adds two rear doors to become a 5-door, 4-seat micro EV – matching the size of the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV 4-Door Version.
Deepal
Focusing on young consumer groups, Deepal also achieved a major breakthrough in 2025 with sales of 333,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 36.6%. Together with Changan Origin, it has accelerated Changan’s new energy transition and successfully entered the European market.
Deepal currently covers three product series: sedans, SUVs and rugged off-road vehicles, and adopts a dual-track approach for intelligent driving, offering both Tianshu ADAS and Huawei ADS 2.0. It will launch one all-new model in 2026.
- Deepal S08: Expected to have a 5-meter body and a 3-meter wheelbase, it may be built on an all-new platform with an all-new electric drive and battery system. It will be equipped with L3 autonomous driving and an AI cockpit, and is expected to be priced under RMB 200,000, drawing lessons from previous pricing strategies.
Avatr
Born with a silver spoon in its mouth, Avatr is backed by Changan, Huawei and CATL, and targets the high-end intelligent market. It sold over 120,000 units in 2025, a significant sales improvement with monthly sales exceeding 10,000 for 10 consecutive months. That said, in a market where monthly sales of 20,000 are the new benchmark for new energy brands, Avatr still has a long way to go.
Avatr will go all out in 2026, with the core strategies of multiple model launches and full technological configuration, planning to roll out 4 new models.
- Avatr 06 Touring Version: Expected to retain the design language of the current Avatr 06, offering pure electric and extended-range versions. It is expected to be priced under RMB 200,000, with its main competitor set to be the NIO ET5T.
- Avatr G618: The project code for a large 6-seat flagship SUV, also available in pure electric and extended-range versions. Targeting the high-end family market, it will be priced above RMB 400,000.
- Avatr D706: Avatr’s first MPV model. Avatr’s design is inherently personalized – applying this design language to an MPV could either create an innovative new product or end up as a plain large van, making it a highly anticipated model.
- Facelifted Avatr 12: It features a revised LiDAR layout (mounted on the roof) and semi-hidden door handles, and will launch a tri-motor high-performance version for the first time. The extended-range version will see its pure electric range upgraded to 261km.
Overall, 2026 is not a "big product year" for Changan Automobile, as the company is mainly waiting for the mass deployment of its new technologies, such as batteries that do not catch fire in 120km/h collisions, high-efficiency electric drive technology, and the on-vehicle implementation of L3/L4 autonomous driving.
Changan’s strategy is clear: instead of blindly adopting a "flood the market with models" approach, it is bolstering the competitiveness of existing models through technological upgrades. Amid the frantic market expansion of other domestic automakers, Changan stands out for its calm and prudent approach.
Ingeniously, Changan also seems to be playing a time difference game with its competitors. For example, the all-new Origin Q05 and A06 are both scheduled to launch at the end of the year. After a thorough analysis of competitors, Changan has ensured these models lead the market in both size and configuration, avoiding the peak launch period of rival models and seizing market share during their facelift windows.