Today semi-independent Changan brand Deepal unveiled the S07 SUV. Essentially the S07 is a facelifted version of the S7, and the biggest change is the new Qiankun ADS system from Huawei. The name change is to prepare the car for sales in Europe where the S7 (see specs) name would cause a problem with Audi. Plans call for the Deepal brand to be sold across 70 countries and regions next year and are part of ambitious plans for the brand, which includes several new models.
Externally the Deepal S07 is nearly identical to the previous version. One of the few differences is that the new car has an intelligent interactive light group that uses up to 696 LED light sources and can use these to project interactions such as signals to pedestrians, driving status reminders, and special scene animations. The users can customize the light language. Purchasers have a choice from colors including Star Black, Cold Star White, Moon Rock Gray, Blazing Cloud Orange, Polar Yellow, Nebula Blue, and Star Blue. Dimensions for the car are identical to the S7 being 4750, 1930, and 1625 mm (l/w/h) along with a wheelbase of 2900 mm.
From MIIT listing Information we know that the car comes in all-electric and range-extended EV forms. The all-electric car uses a single 160 kW motor and the range is 620 km using CLTC calculations. Range extended versions use a 1.5 liter JL473QJ engine with a maximum power of 70KW as the range extender. There are two different versions one with a pure electric range of 121 km and the other with 200 km, maximum combined range Is 1,120 km.
Like the exterior there is very little difference with the interior of the new car. The S07 adopts the same wrap-around design with a two-spoke multifunction steering wheel and a 15.6-inch 2.5K floating center infotainment screen that can rotate left or right by 15 degrees. Although there is no instrument panel the S07 has an augmented reality head-up display with a 55-inch display area. Chinese media mentions a 12.3 inch screen for the front passenger but none of the pictures show this screen. Powering the car’s system is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip with 16GB RAM and 128GB storage. It should be noted that this runs the Deepal OS system and that the company uses its own OS system rather than using the HarmonyOS from Huawei. The Deepal OS system uses the Deepal GPT large model voice system to enable improved human-machine communication.
Other features include silent, electric suction frameless doors, which at the front have double-glazed glass to reduce noise. For the driver, the seat has a massage function and for the front passenger, there is a leg rest. The car has what’s known as a cloud suspension cabin which gives a 120° seat lying position. The car has a 14-speaker sound system including an immersive headrest for the driver. There is also a 1.9 square meter panoramic roof. Color options for the interior are from green, black or orange.
Probably the most notable change for the S07 is the new Qiankun ADS 3.0 SE driving assistance system from Huawei. Qiankun is the new name for the ADS service provided by Huawei from version 3.0. Deepal being a more budget brand does not use Lidar, and therefore the car uses the Qiankun 3.0 SE version which is a vision-based system and replaces the Huawei ADS Basic Intelligent Driving system currently offered on the S7. The system provides high-speed driving assistance along with intelligent parking. Reportedly Huawei’s intelligent driving department has begun to explore the feasibility of going overseas.
If Deepal can offer the system on export versions then this will be a strong selling point. Last year Deepal entered the Thai market with the L07 and S07 cars (the local names for the SL03 and S7) and has sold 11,000 vehicles in Thailand in the first half of this year. According to Deng Chenghao Deepal’s General Manager, the brand will expand to over 70 countries/regions next year.
Currently, Deepal models consist of the SL03, S7, and G318. The S07 will replace the S7 and also coming later this year is the new L07 which despite looking very similar to the SL03 is in fact a different car. The L07 focuses on intelligent technology and is a different size being 55 mm longer. Also due to go on sale this year is the S05, A+ class SUV.
According to a leaked PowerPoint presentation last week, there are additionally three new models that we can expect coming soon. Currently, we know very little about them other than their names and vague descriptions about them. The first is codenamed C518 and it’s being referred to as ‘smart driving fun’. Then there is the C857 which is being called ‘social entertainment’ and finally the D587 ‘smart fun space’. One of these is expected to be a six-seater SUV which will launch next year and in 2025 the brand will have seven models on sale.
Sources: Autohome, Fast Technology, Autohome, Fast Technology
I’d love a European model with the full Huawei treatment.
Deepal is essentially Huawei Lite, it uses the Huawei Inside type model I believe.