Deepal News

This budget electric SUV was supposed to launch in Australia last year, but we still haven’t seen it yet.The Deepal S05 is a Toyota RAV4-sized electric Chinese SUV has just received a big update.  Deepal is a subsidiary of giant Chinese car manufacturer Changan that has joint ventures with Ford and Mazda.It previously confirmed the S05 would hit Aussie shores in the second half of 2025, but it still hasn’t launched as we head into the second half of 2026.It rivals other affordable electrified SUVs like the Leapmotor B10 and BYD Atto 3.It is closely related to its bigger S07 sibling that has been on sale in Australia since late 2024. So, where is it?The Deepal S05’s upgrades include a more powerful EV model, featuring a single rear-mounted electric motor, producing 200kW, compared to 175kW. Acceleration from 0-100km/h now takes as little as 6.3 seconds. From the outside, there is a new more flowing body, more chrome trim pieces, frameless windows and re-designed 18-inch wheels.It also gains a new 15.6-inch central touchscreen and 256-colour ambient lighting, with wood-grain panels featuring throughout. The EV continues to be offered with a 56kWh battery, with a 10km boost to driving range at 520km, according to lenient CLTC standards, as well as a 69kWh unit with 620km.DC charging from 30 to 80 per cent continues to take around 15 minutes. The brand has also made significant changes to the driver assistance systems in the car, with 26 high-perception sensors and more than 90 driving functions like automated parking.Deepal has not provided any official reasons for why the SO5’s launch has been delayed, but the brand is likely hoping for a better market introduction than the S07.The S07 was plagued by frustrating and invasive active safety technology that forced the brand to make wholesale software changes just months after it went on sale. The car’s driver attention monitor function, lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control all came under serious scrutiny.Deepal has stated the S05 is being subject to extensive testing, hinting that this could be the reason behind its delayed arrival. The brand worked swiftly to rectify these issues with a spokesperson telling CarsGuide in 2025 it would undertake more extensive local testing. “We will do more real-world tests in Australia and will make Australian driving scenarios entries into our software data bank and adjust to those live scenarios,” they said. “And that will test all of the system set-ups and that gives us time before we bring the car to market to launch to make sure that sensitivities, system set ups and everything is conditioned to the expectation of the Australian consumer.”The Deepal S05’s original planned launch date is long in the rearview mirror, but the brand remains adamant the car will hit showrooms soon. The S05 launched in the United Kingdom in March 2026, a fellow right-hand drive market. It was also cleared for sale by the Australian government regulator in February this year.A spokesperson for Deepal Australia could not confirm whether the car would arrive in 2026 or 2027, but did reveal the car is undergoing extensive testing in Sydney, with more details coming "very soon". "We're incredibly excited about the Deepal S05, with planning now in its final stages ahead of its Australian launch,” they said."We've already completed more than 100,000km of local testing using engineering vehicles, including extensive software validation and calibration work, to ensure the S05 delivers the best driving experience for our market.”With the car in its final stages of preparation, there is scope for it to go on sale before the end of the year or early 2027. There is no indication of Australian pricing yet, but the new model will be available from 120,000 yuan in China, which is roughly $25,000.Chinese cars usually cop a 20 per cent hike when put on sale in Australia, so it is more likely to start around the $30,000-plus mark.

Rumours have been rife over the past few weeks that Mazda may be investigating the fully electric Deepal E07 Multitruck for Australia.And why not?With its unique design that combines the passenger compartment of a five-seat, large SUV with the versatility of a utility, the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) seems to evolve the coupe-utility formula that was so famously pioneered in Melbourne by Ford in the early 1930s.This is especially relevant at these times with spiking fuel prices and interest in electrification of all sorts booming at all-time highs in this country.In March 2026 alone, EV sales alone went from under nine per cent of total vehicle volume to nearly 15 per cent.Fanning the reports is Mazda’s decades-old relationship with Chinese partner Changan Automobile Technologies that owns Deepal, which is only now bearing fruit in this market, with the 6e EV liftback and its CX-6e EV SUV coming later in the year derived from and made by the latter brand.As such, for many speculators, a quick repurpose of the E07 Multitruck for the enormous ute segment in Australia seems like a no-brainer to new conquest buyers, especially as the Japanese company’s volumes have slipped some 12 per cent in the first three months of 2026.However, despite all the compelling arguments for an electrified ute to slip alongside the robust BT-50 diesel ute that is built and supplied by compatriot rival Isuzu, it seems almost certain that Mazda is neither developing nor intending to introduce a version of the Deepal SUV-cum-ute.“It’s not happening,” according to a Mazda Australia spokesperson speaking to CarsGuide earlier this week. “The E07 is an interesting concept, but there are no plans at all for it.“The reports are wrong.”It is difficult to argue with the facts. Firstly, just 66 examples of the E07 Multitruck were registered in the first three months on sale in Australia, suggesting most ute consumers are yet to be convinced of the concept.Secondly, with the Deepal kicking off from $65,000 before on-road costs for the RWD model and from $74,000 for the high-performance AWD version, a Mazda version would likely sit above the BT-50, competing directly with the company’s menagerie of large, premium SUVs from the CX-60 through to the three-row CX-90 flagship.And, as we have reported previously, the E07 Multitruck is a ute-ified SUV EV with a large and heavy 80kWh battery that eats into potential payload, rather than a purpose-built pick-up. It just doesn’t have the capacities and capabilities of a traditional utility – or even some SUVs.And another big, expensive SUV is not what Mazda needs right now.The flurry of stories, which went global, emanated from a roundtable in Melbourne back in March, when senior Mazda and Changan Mazda officials were asked about the possibility of launching a version of the E07 Multitruck.“We can’t talk about future product,” was the reply from Changan Mazda General Manager of Tech Development Centre and Program Manager for product development in China of CX-50, 6e and CX-6e Hiroshi Ozawa.“But I think it is a very interesting vehicle and I like that type of vehicle that opens up. And I think in Australia people may like it, but Mazda does not produce trucks on its own.“But, if there is a global need we may have to consider it as well. But not at the moment, and we are not studying such a model currently.”A nice-to-have rather than a must-have response, then, from a Japanese company that is a comparative minnow in the automotive world, with limited resources, falling sales in Australia and much more pressing new-model priorities that lay ahead.

The extremely rapid pace of development maintained by Chinese car brands is impressive and largely comes down to the immense resources afforded to the industry.However, it’s not all money, the tech sector and people-power. Australia has had a significant hand in many of the nimble adaptations made since China’s car brands began looking past its borders for customers.To varying degrees, Australia has been somewhat of a testing ground for new Chinese cars as engineers and designers find the strengths and weaknesses of their work.This is not to say the Chinese car industry is in its infancy, but until recently there was no need for brands to tailor cars to suit global tastes.New car engineers from brands outside China have generally noted the preference, for example, for soft, wafty suspension and driver assistance systems.“We recognise that the Chinese tuning approach is very different from what we need to have here in Europe. So every market has a different taste,” Mazda Europe's Senior Manager of Product Development and Engineering Alexander Fritsche told media last year when explaining the work that went into developing the Mazda 6e electric car as a global model.Based on the Deepal L07, the Mazda 6e underwent major suspension changes and driver assist adjustments to suit Europe, and by extension Australia.“Particularly interesting… is that the Chinese market seems to like very mild, soft ride comfort,” Fritsche said.Preferences between Australia and Europe are more similar than between Australia and China, but the changes Mazda Europe made to the 6e aren’t the only example of this. Chinese brands have adjusted their approach to global models very quickly in the last few years, with the feedback from Australian customers, media, and even the brands’ own importers or Australian subsidiaries helping deliver cars that aren’t just built for domestic tastes.Stellantis Australia Senior Product Manager Rick Crichton spoke to media at the local launch of the Leapmotor B10 in early 2026 and said Leapmotor’s headquarters was not only receptive to Australian feedback, but regularly sought it.“They are constantly asking for our feedback,” Crichton said.“Us being the closest to the ground, I've got a pretty good handle on the Australian automotive landscape, so they are always curious for my feedback. “They want my input, and we put requests into them and they're super responsive because they are geared for success. “Even in some of the requests I've made for simple feature changes via OTA, they're coming through in, you know, lightning quick.”It’s not just brands new to the market like Leapmotor or Deepal that are quickly learning what Australian drivers and car buyers prefer.GWM has been in Australia for approaching two decades, having launched in 2009 as Great Wall.Although only the last decade of that has been factory-backed from headquarters in China, the brand’s long-running presence in Australia compared to its compatriots last year saw GWM take the step of employing one of Australia’s best-known ride and handling engineers, former Holden vehicle dynamics lead engineer Rob Trubiani.“GWM has been actively listening to local customer feedback for several years now with much of this feedback already making its way into the final tuning of new models making their way to the Australian and New Zealand markets,” GWM said in a statement announcing Trubiani’s recruitment in March 2025. “In hiring Mr Trubiani, GWM’s objective is to strengthen local engineering efforts with a view to further improving vehicle dynamics and, ultimately, customer experience across the region.”While the long-term effects of Trubiani’s presence at GWM are yet to be seen, new entry to the market, GAC, has already locally tested its three models from launch having worked with Toyota in China for decades.“We have learned a lot from them, and we believe that the customer will have a different experience by driving GAC,” Deputy General Manager of GAC Australia Cheney Liang told CarsGuide in November 2025.The Aion V mid-size electric SUV, the M8 plug-in hybrid people mover and the Emzoom compact SUV were the first three confirmed cars from the brand to land in Australia. “When we picked the models, we came to Australia. We have already done the Australian test,” Liang confirmed.Different approaches, different results, but the common theme that Australia is often the first external market for Chinese brands to learn in is clear.Who knows what the market will look like in a few more years, but it’s likely the increasing quality of Chinese cars won’t slow down.

Japan has lost its crown as the number one source of new cars for Australia - and it could be for good.

You can't fit 10kg of dirt into a 5kg bag. That feels like an appropriate metaphor for the Australian car industry, where seemingly every few weeks a new car brand arrives to stake its claim on a piece of the market.

2025 was certainly the year of the new car brand coming to Australia.

Feel like there’s suddenly a whole lot of new car brands with logos you don’t even recognise.

Changan, the parent brand for Deepal, has confirmed it will launch a new small electric SUV in the UK, following its recent Chinese market debut.

The saviour of electric cars may have come crashing down to earth before it’s even risen.

Deepal's over-the-air update to the S07's safety systems, which allows certain functions to be permanently disabled rather than require them to be turned off every time the vehicle is started, risks falling foul of ANCAP, with the safety body demanding answers ahead of a potential revaluation of the model's safety rating.