Avatr 11 May Make You Want One

Latest Chinese EV brand leans on design and features to compete against the legacy premium car brands

- Lee Nian Tjoe

Two Chinese carmakers and a battery manufacturer walked into a bar... but instead of ending up with a punchline to a joke, they formed Avatr, an upmarket electric vehicle (EV) brand to rival premium German car brands.

So goes the origin story of Avatr, which is unrelated to Canadian filmmaker James Cameron's movie franchise involving humanoids with blue skin.

The joint venture was initially called Changan Nio New Energy Automobile Technology in 2018, and was renamed Avatr in 2021, as automotive company Nio had reduced its stakes.

The Avatr 11 (pronounced "one-one") is the first model to be launched in Singapore and has the makings of a serious contender in the premium EV segment.

CATL, the world's largest EV battery maker that supplies the likes of BMW, Tesla and Xiaomi, has stakes in Avatr, while Huawei, of smartphone fame, is also involved in the car's development.

Perhaps to flaunt its battery capability, the Avatr 11 Long Range claims to be able to cover 600km on a single charge. This is almost enough range for a round trip between the Tuas Checkpoint and Kuala Lumpur.

The Standard Range version, which has a smaller battery (90kWh instead of 116kWh), is good for 475km.

Over the three-day, 170km drive, the Long Range test car posts an average energy consumption of 18.2kWh/100km, better than the claimed 21.7kWh/100km.

This suggests the car can get quite close to the 600km range in real life. For typical drivers in Singapore, a full charge may be good for more than a week of driving.

The Avatr's design is striking, with handsome proportions and sculpted curves. Its sheer size gives it a commanding road presence. At 4,880mm long, the Avatr sits between the Porsche Macan (4,784mm) and its big brother, the Cayenne (4,930mm).