Changan Deepal S07

ANOTHER day, another Chinese electric crossover, this time pitched at the large family car market and up against the BYD Sealion 7 and Peugeot E-5008 for size.

- Phil McNamara

Unlike the versatile E-5008, it’s a five-seater and costs £39,990 — that’s £7,000 cheaper than the Peugeot and BYD.

It’s the car to launch the Changan brand in the UK. Reportedly China's oldest car company, originating in 1984, it hails from the world’s biggest city, Chongqing, which is the size of Austria and home to 30 million people. Plenty of customers that set Changan on its way.

More than 20 years ago the firm began to establish operations overseas: design in Turin and Munich, powertrain R&D in the UK. The result is the S07, from the sub-brand Deepal (another EV brand from Changan and Huawei, Avatr, is set to follow). If you think Italian design encompasses voluptuous curves and iconic details, Deepal’s studio disagrees: the S07 is a nicely proportioned, aggressive and angular crossover — which could be from any one of those startups.