Chinese luxury brand Avatr will take aim at brands like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Zeekr and Denza when it starts deliveries of its first Aussie model early next year. Majority-owned by the giant Changan Group, the newcomer is kicking things off with its large BEV SUV, the 07L.

Avatr’s decision to head down under comes after BYD launched its premium Denza brand and Geely brought its Zeekr subsidiary here. There were telltale signs of the move in August, when Changan – which currently sells Deepal models locally – put up job ads seeking staff to help with the launch of a “premium automotive brand”. 

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The vehicle in the vanguard of Avatr’s Aussie push made its debut earlier this year as a stretched version of the company’s 07 SUV. Few details have surfaced in the company’s official press release announcing its debut here, but it is confirmed to have an advanced 800-volt silicone-carbide electric architecture and CATL battery tech.

The 07L features an 89.33kWh lithium iron phosphate battery on the Chinese market, and the all-wheel drive version directs 712kW of power and 996Nm to the road. That gives it a claimed 0-100km/h time of 3.7 seconds and a claimed CLTC range of 650km.

In rear-wheel drive form, the 07L runs a single e-motor making 305kW and 435Nm, does the 0-100km/h sprint in 5.9 seconds and boasts a claimed CLTC range of 725km.

The 07L’s impressively appointed interior gets a 35.4-inch digital display that stretches right across the width of the cabin, seats that massage, warm up and cool the driver and front-seat passenger, and a 15.6-inch touchscreen. 

It will run the Avatr OS system, which the company says has been “designed around Australian customers, digital services and market requirements”. A Meridian audio system will feature as well.

First customer deliveries are expected to happen early next year, and Avatr will release further specs and pricing closer to the opening of pre-orders, which has been promised before the end of the year.