Chinese automaker Changan has just released what could be the most competitively priced huge SUV seen for a time. Changan’s Deepal brand officially introduced the S09 today, and honestly the numbers are attractive if you’re within this category.
Pricing That Actually Makes Sense
This is the problem with big automobiles: in China they’re typically priced to be akin to their dimensions. However, Deepal appears to have changed this rule in the S09. The price starts at 239,900 yuan (roughly $33,310) the six-seater is slashing some of the competition. For a comparison Li Auto’s similar-sized L9 costs 409,800 dollars. This isn’t money in the pocket.
The market seems to have also noticed. In the first few hours following the event’s launch on May 22nd, Deepal was able to collect more than 21,000 orders in the hours before midnight. It’s not just tire-kickers snooping around the showroom, these are those who put down money.
What You’re Actually Getting
The S09 isn’t cheap only to be inexpensive. It’s 5.2 meters, with an 3.1-meter length of wheelbase, the car is a legitimate contender in the streets. The extended-range model pairs with a 1.5-liter engine with all-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive.
If you choose the rear-drive model, you’re experiencing 231 kW of power, and an 7.9-second sprint to reach 100 km/h. This isn’t exactly sports car territory however, it’s respectable for a car like this. If you upgrade to all-wheel drive, and you’ll also get a front motor that boosts output to higher levels and lowering the speed to 5.9 seconds.
The battery setup is typical that’s the 40.18 1 kWh lithium iron-phosphate pack made by CATL, which gives you about 200-210 kilometers of electric range pure under CLTC tests. In reality, the numbers are likely to be lower like they’ve always been and will be to cover the majority of driving situations.
Tech That Actually Matters
This is where the fun begins. Deepal will equip its S09 using Huawei’s driver assist systems. You can choose between it’s the ADS SE or the more sophisticated ADS Max depending on which trim you select. The Max version is said to be able to be able to assist in parking-to-parking assisted driver, which is a bit ambitious, but we’ll have to see how it works in the real world.
Additionally, two models with the highest specs are set to be upgraded to Huawei’s most recent ADS 4 system sometime in the second quarter of the year. This is the kind of future-proofing that you won’t see often at this cost.
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Market Reality Check
Deepal’s been quite a streak lately. April deliveries topped 20000 units, an increase of 58% over the last year, even though they fell from the March figures. However, their year-to date performance has seen nearly 88,000 deliveries in April, a solid increase in a highly competitive marketplace.
The company is setting rather ambitious targets, as well. They’re aiming for 500,000 global sales by 2025. the majority of them staying in the US and 100,000 going out to the world. If they are able to hit these numbers will depend upon how models such as the S09 do.
The Bottom Line
Launch promotions sweeten the deal further. There’s a 35,000 yuan discount which reduces the entry price to just a little over 205,000 dollars. In that case you’re looking at a big SUV that comes with extended-range capabilities, decent technology and six seats at less than $30,000 or equivalent.
The Chinese electric vehicle market has been a snoozer on pricing lately, but S09 is a reminder that there’s plenty of an opportunity to entice people. If this strategy of aggressive pricing is sustainable in the long term remains to be seen however for those who are looking at this particular segment it’s certainly worth taking having a closer look.
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