Changan, tech companies enter joint venture for Avatr EV brand

MANILA: Changan Auto — along with 5G leader Huawei, and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL), the world’s leading lithium battery maker — have entered into a joint venture to develop electric cars under the Avatr brand.

Avatr will operate as an independent entity, assembling EVs based on its new architecture, using automotive chips designed by Huawei.

The first Avatr model is expected to roll out in China this year, boasting 200kW of supercharging, a driving range of up to 700 kilometers on one charge, and acceleration time of zero to 100kph in less than four seconds, Changan Motor Philippines Inc. (CMPI) said in a release.  

“Given these exciting developments, Changan is truly on a massive EV offensive. Under its new energy program, the Shangri-La Plan, it aims to be a global leader in EV by 2030," CMPI President and CEO Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo stated. 

"With the rising fuel prices and the Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations Act soon to be passed into law, we are optimistic that the much-desired EV ecosystem will be established, so that more and more Filipinos will be given the chance to enjoy the benefits of owning one of world’s best-selling pure electric cars,” she added. 

Known to dedicate some 5% of its annual sales to research and development (R&D), the Changan Group recently announced a whopping US$12.55-billion priority investment on EVs by the end of 2025, with projected sales of 1.5 million electric cars and plug-in hybrids or some 35% of the company’s total sales for that year. 

China is dominant in the global EV market, cornering 53% of global sales in 2021, CMPI disclosed. 

Images from  Changan Motor Philippines, Inc. (CMPI)

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