Luxury electric car brand Avatr targeting right-hand drive markets – report

Electric vehicle brand Avatr could be expanding outside of China with plans to expand to Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and to produce vehicles in right-hand drive.

A report by Carscoops suggests Avatr could begin its worldwide expansion as soon as 2024.

The report claims the plans are yet to be finalised but the luxury car brand may expand into Southeast Asian markets like Thailand, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Europe.

Avatr 12

Avatr’s European PR manager, Bruno Ciccarini, told Carscoops the first vehicles to reach Europe will be in 2026-2027 once the homologation process is complete.

The company further confirmed that it’s “actively developing” a right-hand drive model, but it hasn’t confirmed whether Australia will be among the right-hand drive markets in which these vehicles will be sold.

Carscoops reports European-spec Avatr models will be manufactured in Germany rather than China.

Avatr 11

Avatr is remaining tight-lipped on whether it will enter the US market, telling Carscoops its a “maybe”.

The company did make a point of saying that while it plans to expand globally, its priority market is China.

Avatr was founded in 2018 and exists as a joint venture between Changan Automobile – one of China’s big four car manufacturers – and tech giant Huawei and battery manufacturer CATL.

Although the company was established in Chongqing, China, its global design centre is in Munich, Germany and its R&D team is located in Shanghai, China.

It launched its first vehicle, the 11 SUV, in China last year. Earlier this year, it revealed its second model, the 12 fastback.

The Avatr 11, slightly larger than a Tesla Model Y, offers a choice of either a single-motor rear-wheel drive powertrain which produces 230kW of power and 370Nm of torque, or a dual-motor all-wheel drive setup with 425kW and 650Nm.

CATL supplies Avatr with ternary lithium batteries, with a choice of 90kWh and 116kWh packs across the 11 range. Range is up to 730km on the CLTC cycle.

The SUV features 3 LiDAR units, 13 high-definition cameras, 12 ultrasonic radars and a full suite of active safety and driver assist technology.

The flagship 12, roughly the size of a BMW i5, includes features like a 35.4-inch 4k panoramic display, Nappa leather upholstery, 27 speakers and three nature-inspired fragrances.

The brand will lean on both Huawei for driver assist systems and CATL for batteries.

According to Avatr, deliveries for the 12 will begin in the fourth quarter of 2023.