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Changan launches Deepal S05 mid-sized crossover in electric and plug-in hybrid forms
Chinese manufacturer Changan is bringing its smaller Deepal S05 crossover to the UK, offered with both fully electric and plug-in hybrid powertrains, after a first taste of the car in Austria.
By Charlotte Redford · 3 min read
Chinese manufacturer Changan is pushing further into the British market with the Deepal S05, a mid-sized crossover offered with both fully electric and plug-in hybrid powertrains. The car is the second model the brand has introduced in the UK, following the larger Deepal S07 earlier this year, which the company’s launch in Britain was widely regarded as a respectable effort.
Although Changan is less well known to British buyers than rivals such as BYD, Jaecoo and Omoda, the company is far from a newcomer to the industry. Based in Chongqing, China, it has been in car manufacturing for more than 60 years, a history that its UK push is meant to highlight. The firm says it hopes the S05 will help it grow its influence in the UK at what it describes as “China speed”. Its pitch combines technology, performance and a design that the company presents as surprisingly sophisticated, backed by well-supported personal finance deals intended to make ownership more accessible.
Changan expects electric and plug-in hybrid versions to sell in roughly equal numbers. Plug-in hybrid volume is likely to be slightly more weighted towards fleet customers, which suggests that business buyers may play a larger role in the hybrid side of the range than in the fully electric line-up. The S05 sits alongside the S07 in a range that the manufacturer is using to test how far its Chinese-built vehicles can win over British drivers in a crowded market.
Reviewers first assessed the S05 in Austria, where cold-weather driving and low-grip conditions offered an early look at how the car handles outside ideal circumstances. That initial drive was followed by a fuller test on the UK’s more demanding roads, where the car was evaluated in both electric and plug-in hybrid guise. The contrast between the two versions on familiar British routes is central to how the car is being judged against established rivals in the mid-sized crossover segment.
The S05 arrives as the British market continues to shift towards electrified vehicles, with buyers weighing fully electric cars against plug-in hybrids that offer a combustion engine as a backup. For Changan, the challenge is to convince customers that a newcomer brand can deliver both technology and credibility, while keeping prices and finance packages competitive enough to draw attention away from better-known manufacturers.
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