Founded in 1862, (161 years ago to date) Changan Automobile is China’s oldest car manufacturer. At first, the company manufactured munitions for the Chinese military. Changan eventually switched to vehicle production many decades later, starting in the 1950s. Today the company is considered the smallest of the big four Chinese car manufacturers with around 2M units sold per year. We’ll skip the history lesson, because in many ways Chnagan is a survivor and as with any survivor, Changan moves with the times. The Qiyuan A07 is Chnagan’s survival instinct on display, it is a sleek-looking pure electric sedan that dips its toes into the world of PHEVs.

The Qiyuan A07 is a very refined design with hints of the Audi A7/A5 about it. The door handles retract flush into the door for a sleek aero profile. The front features a single-strip LED light bar and headlights. The Qiyuan A07 is slightly bigger than a Tesla Model 3 and will offer greater practicality due to the rear hatch style opening.

Changan Automobile has invested heavily in developing a purpose-built electric platform. Changan EPA1 will serve as a basis for the Qiyuan A07, it is also adaptable for hydrogen and gasoline powertrains. While details are few, we do know the pure electric Qiyuan A07 will be powered by a 214bhp (160kW) electric motor with a possible second more powerful 250bhp (190kW) derivative.

The plugin hybrid variant will be powered by a 4-cylinder 1.5-litre gasoline engine. An additional electric motor will boost the total system power to 215 bhp. Electric range will be provided by a 30kWh battery pack that will provide an estimated range of 105 miles (170km).

The car will ride on 18-19 inch alloy wheels and feature a suite of driver safety assists including a 360-degree camera system. The Chnagan Qiyuan will be released in China in October with prices starting from an equivalent of $30,000 USD or 200,000 RMB.