Avatr 12 Hits 955 hp and the 06 Took 20,117 Orders in 26 Hours

Avatr began life as Changan-Nio, a 50:50 joint venture between Changan and Nio. Two years later Nio walked away. What remained became an electric car brand owned 40.99% by Changan, with CATL's battery cells in the cars and Huawei's software in the cabins. By June 2025 Avatr said it had passed 150,000 cumulative sales at an average price above 270,000 yuan (US$37,600).

Avatr Technology: how Changan-Nio became Avatr

Avatr Technology, headquartered in Chongqing, was set up in 2018, when Changan wanted a company devoted to technologically advanced electric vehicles and teamed up with Nio. After Nio left, Changan, as the primary shareholder, turned to battery maker CATL. The company was renamed Avatr Technology in May 2021. Its Chinese name was originally an abbreviation of Changan, Huawei and CATL, but the current name, pronounced "Avatar", is easier to say and to translate.

Money arrived in rounds. A November 2021 capital increase diluted Changan from 95.38% to 39.02%, with CATL taking 23.99%. The Series A in August 2022 raised nearly 5 billion yuan and moved Changan up to 40.99%, while CATL, which did not take part, fell to 17.10%. The Series B in August 2023 valued the company at nearly 20 billion RMB and added state-owned investors, leaving Changan at 40.99% and CATL at 14.10%; the Chongqing Chengan Foundation slipped from 13.55% to 11.17%. A Series C in December 2024 raised over 11 billion yuan (1.5 billion USD) with Changan again unchanged.

Huawei is not a shareholder in Avatr itself, yet it supplies driver-assistance algorithms and smart cockpit systems. In August 2024 Avatr paid RMB 11.5 billion for 10% of Yinwang, the former Huawei Intelligent Automotive Solution unit, becoming its second-largest shareholder and the first outside investor. That moved the relationship from "HI" (Huawei Inside) to "HI Plus", letting Huawei play a bigger part in defining Avatr's products.

Tan Benhong was chairman from 2021 to 2023 and chief executive over the same period; Zhu Huarong has chaired since 2023 and Chen Zhuo has been CEO since 2023. Li Bin chaired the company from 2018 to 2021. Avatr is working with Momenta on an overseas project codenamed 15G, whose first model has started testing abroad and is likely to launch in the Middle East first.

Nio walked away after two years; what Changan built next sold more than 150,000 cars.

The Avatr range and the CHN platform

The first model was the E11, a large electric SUV with a claimed range of about 700 km (430 mi). It lost its "E" to become the Avatr 11, which debuted in August 2022, with sales starting in November 2022. At the time Avatr said it intended to add 4 new cars by 2025, beginning with the 12 executive car presented in July 2023. The current line-up is:

• Avatr 11, mid-size SUV, from 2022
• Avatr 12, mid-size sedan, from 2023
• Avatr 07, mid-size SUV, from 2024, and the 07L from 2026
• Avatr 06, mid-size sedan, from 2025, and the 06T wagon from 2026

All are available as battery electric or range-extended cars. A full-size T09 SUV is due, a D706 flagship MPV is expected in 2026, and the Vision Xpectra concept appeared in 2025.

Underneath sits what Avatr calls the CHN model, a name that draws on Changan, Huawei and CATL's Chinese name, Ningde Shidai. According to Avatr, the technology platform has six layers: mechanical, energy, electrical architecture, vehicle operating system, function applications and cloud data. The company says it supports wheelbases of up to 3,100mm, covers sedans, SUVs, MPVs and crossovers, and works with rear-wheel and four-wheel drive.

Avatr 11: the first Avatr

The Avatr 11 is a mid-size luxury fastback crossover with four or five seats, launched in China on 8 August 2022. Its dashboard carries a 10.25-inch instrument display, a 15.6-inch central screen and a 10.25-inch display for the passenger, with two wireless charging pads and a 14-speaker system that includes road noise cancellation. It runs Huawei's HarmonyOS, with a DriveONE twin-motor four-wheel-drive system, and the driver-assistance computer delivers 400 TOPS using 34 sensors, three of them LiDARs. Features include lane change assist, traffic light recognition and pedestrian detection.

The launch line-up had three trims, all with dual-motor all-wheel drive. The two cheaper ones were due for delivery in December 2022 and the top model in the first quarter of 2023. A limited edition called the Avatr 011 MMW, made with Matthew M. Williams, was capped at 500 units.

Together the two Huawei motors make 570 hp (425 kW; 578 PS) and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm). The front unit peaks at 261 hp (195 kW; 265 PS) and the rear at 309 hp (230 kW; 313 PS). CATL supplies the battery: a 90.38 kWh NMC pack in cell-to-pack form in standard trim, or a 116.79 kWh pack in the flagship. The car reaches 100 km/h (62 mph) in under 3.98 seconds and tops out at 200 km/h (124 mph). Range on the CLTC cycle is 555 km (345 mi) with the smaller pack and 680 km (420 mi) with the larger. A 750V platform supports 240 kW charging, enough to add 200 km (124 mi) in 10 minutes.

Export launches followed. Thailand got the car on 17 September 2024 as Standard Range (90.38 kWh) and Long Range (116.79 kWh), then a Royal Edition AWD in November 2025; in July 2026 the two original variants gave way to the Ultra RWD and Ultra AWD. Nepal started in August 2024 with rear-drive only and either battery. Qatar followed on 24 February 2025 through the Alattiya dealer, Brunei on 26 February 2025 through Maju Motors as a rear-drive 116.79 kWh car rated at 680 km, and Pakistan in December 2025 through Master Changan Motors.

Avatr 12: the executive car

The Avatr 12 is the second Avatr, an executive car that mixes sedan and fastback proportions. Nader Faghihzadeh, a former BMW designer, drew both it and the 11. It keeps the 11's round edges and double "C" lighting on a slimmer shape, with hidden door handles, a small rear window running into a low sloping roof, an optional hinged spoiler and an optional camera system in place of mirrors. Wheels are 20 or 21 inches. Inside are an oval steering wheel and one wide horizontal screen with a 15.6-inch touchscreen at its centre.

It was first presented in July 2023, made its official debut in August 2023 and appeared in Europe at IAA Mobility in Munich in early September 2023; sales in China began on 10 November 2023. Qatar followed on 24 February 2025.

At launch there were two electric versions with Huawei motors: a single 313 hp (233 kW; 317 PS) rear motor, or dual-motor all-wheel drive with 578 hp (431 kW; 586 PS). Both used a 94.53 kWh CATL NMC battery that peaks at 240 kW and charges from 30 to 80 percent in 20 minutes, for ranges of 700 km (435 mi) rear-drive and 650 km (404 mi) all-wheel drive. Updated motors in 2025 lifted the rear-drive car to 318 hp (237 kW; 322 PS) and 755 km (469 mi), and the all-wheel-drive car to 539 hp (402 kW; 546 PS) and 705 km (438 mi).

The 2025 range-extender uses a 1.5-litre turbocharged four from Changan with a peak of 154 hp (115 kW; 156 PS), contributing up to 110 kW (148 hp; 150 PS) while running. It pairs with a 310 hp (231 kW; 314 PS) rear motor and a 39 kWh LFP battery, giving 245 km (152 mi) on electric power and 1,155 km (718 mi) combined. A 52 kWh LFP pack later raised electric range to 356 km (221 mi), and in 2026 twin 200 kW motors brought 536 hp (400 kW; 543 PS).

Avatr 12 2026 update and the limited-edition 012

An updated 12 was revealed on 20 March 2026 and went on sale on 8 April. The electric rear axle now has twin 251 kW motors for 673 hp (502 kW; 682 PS), and the all-wheel-drive car adds a 210 kW front motor for 955 hp (712 kW; 968 PS) and a claimed 2.9 seconds to 100 km/h (62 mph). A new 98.07 kWh CATL pack takes 6C charging, with a 560 kW peak and 30 to 80 percent in 10 minutes.

The new Taihang Intelligent Control 2.0 drive system gives each rear wheel its own motor, so the car can correct for differing thrust in low grip. Avatr says it can keep the car under control after a tyre blowout at up to 220 km/h (137 mph). Driver assistance moves to Huawei Qiankun ADS 4 with four LiDARs, including the latest 896-line unit, and magnetorheological damping joins the air suspension, which uses double wishbones in front and a multilink layout behind. Pocket-style door handles replace the retracting ones, a mechanical door release now sits in the armrest, the headliner is velour, the driver monitoring is upgraded and the front row gets a centre airbag. An "AVATR MAG" magnetic attachment point sits at the rear of the console.

The Avatr 012 is a limited edition shown on 12 August 2024, with bookings opening the same day after a teaser on 20 May. Nader Faghihzadeh co-designed it with Kim Jones, then an artistic director at Dior and Fendi. It has liquid silver paint, 21-inch mirror-finished forged wheels, four seats, two-tone white Nappa and tan Alcantara and a star pattern on the sunroof. A 402 kW (539 hp; 547 PS) DriveONE powertrain and a 93.4 kWh CATL battery with 5C charging deliver a 650 km (404 mi) CLTC range, 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and 220 km/h (137 mph). Production is limited to 700 units, each with a Dior tote bag, and it launched on 25 March 2025 at 700,000 yuan.

Avatr 06: the mid-size sedan and the 06T wagon

The Avatr 06 is a battery electric and range-extended mid-size sedan, the fourth Avatr. Initial specifications and images came out through homologation documents on 9 December 2024, pre-orders opened on 27 March 2025, and 20,117 orders arrived within 26 hours. It shares its wheelbase and powertrains with the 07 SUV.

Its "Avatr 2.0" design has active grille shutters, dual-strip daytime lights, a "Halo" LED display below the windscreen that can show messages to other road users, pop-out door handles, a black roof and no rear window. Options include digital side mirrors and a roof LiDAR, and the wheels measure 20 or 21 inches. A 35.4-inch upper display and a 15.6-inch touchscreen run HarmonyOS. Front seats heat, ventilate and massage and have a zero-gravity recline, rear backrests recline up to 32 degrees with 956 mm (37.6 in) of headroom, and a 25-speaker Meridian 7.1.4 audio system is rated at 2016 W. A frunk holds 70 L (2.5 cu ft), the boot 416 L (14.7 cu ft) plus a 30 L (1.1 cu ft) underfloor compartment, and 1,266 L (44.7 cu ft) with the seats folded.

Air suspension with continuous damping allows 45 mm (1.8 in) of ride height adjustment. Huawei's Qiankun ADS 3.0 uses 27 sensors including a 192-line roof LiDAR for supervised driving in town and on highways, and its emergency braking works up to 120 km/h (75 mph); base cars get the vision-only ADS 3.0 SE for highways. Avatr claims the 06 passes the Euro NCAP 2026 50% overlap frontal crash test, demonstrated at a CATARC facility in Tianjin.

The 06T wagon was teased on 3 February 2026, with pre-sales opening on 8 April. It adds roof rails, a sporty body kit and 517 L (18.3 cu ft) of luggage space, and Avatr says its folding rear seats create a 2.15 m (7.1 ft) cargo area. The 2026 update brought pocket handles, teal self-driving indicators, an 896-line LiDAR, the Taihang drivetrain and an optional 87.3 kWh battery.

Avatr 06 battery, range and range extender

Electric 06s use a 73 kWh CATL LFP battery on an 800V system. The rear motor makes 252 kW (338 hp; 343 PS), and all-wheel-drive cars add a 188 kW (252 hp; 256 PS) front motor for 440 kW (590 hp; 598 PS). Rear-drive CLTC range is 650 km (404 mi) and all-wheel drive 610 km (379 mi), with 400 km (250 mi) added in 10 minutes of DC charging. The two weigh 2,210 kg (4,870 lb) and 2,320 kg (5,110 lb) and reach 200 km/h (120 mph).

The Kunlun range-extender comes only as a single-motor rear-drive car with 231 kW (310 hp; 314 PS) and either a 31.7 or 45.1 kWh battery. Its Changan-built 1.5-litre turbo engine, JL469ZQ1, makes 115 kW (154 hp; 156 PS) and turns a generator rather than the wheels. Avatr quotes a compression ratio of 15.1:1 and a thermal efficiency of 44.4%, equal to 3.63 kWh from a litre of 92-RON petrol, with noise held below 75 dB and starting vibration cut by 90%. Electric range is 230 to 330 km (140 to 210 mi) and total range about 1,100 km (680 mi); the car weighs 2,120 kg (4,670 lb) and reaches 190 km/h (120 mph).

Avatr 11, 12 and 06 compared