- Changan Automobile’s European brand launch last week uncovered several key insights into the brand’s future in the region, which has been initially kicked off with its DEEPAL S07.
- Amongst the eight models that Changan plans to bring to Europe over the next three years, one is the Changan E07: part-sports car, part-truck, and part-SUV – and will be available in fully-electric form.
- With the Tesla Cybertruck banished from European roads owing to its size and non-compliance with European pedestrian safety laws, could this shrunk-down, more affordable take on a Cybertruck sell well within Europe?
A Tesla Cybertruck for Europe
The E07 was partly born through China’s own restrictions against pick-up truck vehicles, which can have certain restrictions against entering cities. With the E07, this combination of both pick-up and SUV means it classifies as a standard car in China, giving it the pick-up truck image but without the headache. With one press of a button, the rear window and roof is retracted, creating a cargo bed much like a pick-up truck.
It’s one of a number of electric Changan models set to hit the European market in the coming years, and whilst the photos might give the impression that this is an EV as large as a Tesla Cybertruck, it’s far from it. Seeing it in the flesh at Changan’s event, it’s not much larger or wider than something like a Volkswagen ID.4 or Tesla Model Y – making it much more suitable for Europe’s roads.
Changan are calling the E07 a ‘brand-new car species’, and with a very small number of electric pick-ups on the European market, the manufacturer does have a point. However, with the E07 carrying the characteristics of a normal car when not in pick-up mode, it could appeal to a much wider cohort than conventional pick-up trucks. As such, within Europe, the E07 will be classified as a passenger car, rather than a commercial vehicle. Let’s now see if other OEMs (including established European brands) follow Changan’s lead with this model.
There’s no word on European pricing just yet, but the E07 already sells in China from RMB 319,900 (£34,000) in BEV from. When it comes to pricing in Europe, expect the E07 to cost between £30,000 and £40,000 for the most affordable BEV model. The E07 will launch in the European market in early 2026.
