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Changan’s premium electric brand has landed, with plenty of feelings and very few numbers.

Another Chinese car brand has arrived, minus a vowel. AVATR, pronounced exactly as you’d hope, confirmed its Australian launch this week. Its first model, the 07L large all-electric SUV, opens for pre-orders before the end of 2026, and deliveries are due in the first half of 2027.

Changan runs the show locally. The brand was born in 2018 from a Changan, CATL and Huawei tie-up, and its Munich design studio is led by Nader Faghizadeh, who has styled every AVATR since the 2022 AVATR 11.

Feelings first, specs later

The press release uses “Emotive Luxury” often enough to become a drinking game. Changan Group Australia general manager Bryan Guan says luxury “should be intelligent, but it should also be emotional”. That’s lovely, but it isn’t a range figure.

The global car runs an 800V silicon-carbide architecture with CATL batteries, so charging should be very quick. It also gets a big-screen cabin, Meridian audio and an AVATR OS localised for Australia. With sculptural surfaces and signature lighting, it won’t go unnoticed in a Toorak car park.

I see you (eventually)

Local power, range, pricing and driver-assist details are all “to be confirmed”, and the right-hand-drive 07L gets its official reveal before pre-orders open.

Until then, AVATR is asking premium buyers to commit to a mood board, and to do it in a segment where Mercedes-Benz, BMW and a queue of Chinese rivals are all chasing the same wallet. Whether Australians will pay premium money for a badge they can’t yet spell is this sequel’s plot twist.