The Avatr 11 is the Changan Automobile that answered a simple question — how much car can this badge carry? — with 230 kW from Petrol engine. It was built from 2022, in the decade the industry is turning electric. Its designer of record is Nader Faghihzadeh / Jan Poliak / Nicolas Guille / Pedro Ruperto.
How it came about
The Avatr 11 (Chinese: 阿维塔11; pinyin: Ā wéi tǎ 11; pronounced "one one" or "yao yao" in Chinese, not "eleven") is a battery electric and extended range mid-size luxury crossover SUV produced by Avatr Technology, a joint venture between Changan Automobile and lithium-ion battery provider CATL. It is the first vehicle under the Avatr brand. In 2018, a joint venture formed between Changan and Nio.
Later, CATL replaced Nio as the second biggest shareholder when Nio withdrew during a financial crisis. Right now, Changan holds 40.99% of shares, and CATL owns 17.1%. Huawei has no shares in Avatr while supplying the hardware including electric motors and software for intelligent driving, connectivity, and infotainment.
The hardware
Under the skin sits Petrol engine; it is rated at 230 kW; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 2365 kg. Power-to-weight lands near 97 horsepower per tonne, which is brisk everyday performance. The gearbox is a 1-speed direct-drive reduction. The wheelbase is 2975 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
Where it sits in Changan Automobile's history is not in doubt: it was built at Chongqing, China. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Nissan Z, the Porsche Taycan, the Honda ZR-V. Its Changan Automobile stablemates include the Avatr 06 and the Avatr 07.