CATL joins Nio and Changan with e-SUV Avatr 11
The new Chinese electric car brand Avatr has just welcomed the battery manufacturer CATL on board. The first model of the new brand is called Avatr 11 and is a coupé-like SUV.
Avatr is the new brand borne of the cooperation between Changan and Nio. Technical data for its first model the Avatr 11 are still scarce since the official presentation of the model will only take place in the second quarter of 2022 before series production and deliveries are scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2022. The first key data mentioned are over 200 kW charging power, more than 700 kilometres NEDC range and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in four seconds.
According to the Chinese website CN EV Post, the car was designed by a German design team in Munich. The first photos released of the car show a very flowing look due to rounded edges in combination with a closed front end and a striking, narrow headlight design. It also claims to show signs of LiDAR sensors at the front and on the left and right wings, which would match that the Avatr 11 is expected to come with a computing power of 400 TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second). The software used in the vehicle is contributed by Huawei.
Pre-series production is said to have already started in October – in Chongqing in southwest China. According to media reports, Avatr is using a production line there that will later have a maximum annual production capacity of 350,000 vehicles. The company has set itself the goal of bringing four electric car models to market within five years, it says.
The company was founded in 2018 under the name Changan Nio as a joint venture between these two manufacturers. The company then began independent operations in May this year, renaming itself Avatr in the process. Since CATL’s recent entry, ownership of the new brand has changed, with Changan now holding 39 per cent of Avatr, down from its previous share of 95 per cent. CATL owns 24 per cent of the shares, while Nio owns just over one per cent. Another shareholder named by China Daily is an investment fund from Chongqing, which is said to own 21 per cent.
Avatr currently has an engineering, research and production centre in Chongqing, a branding and software centre in Shanghai and a design centre in Munich.
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