Yet another Chinese brand, Deepal, is headed to Aus

Deepal has become the latest Chinese EV specialist to confirm its entry into the Australian market, having just penned a deal with distribution giant Inchape to set-up shop before the end of the year.

Like compatriots XPeng and Leapmotor, Deepal will launch here with a Tesla Model Y-rivalling medium SUV dubbed the 2024 Deepal S07.

A tougher and more rugged electric SUV known as the D318 is expected to follow the S07 and go after the Toyota Prado before the smaller S05 SUV and L07 medium sedan join the fray later.

Already seen testing on Australian roads, the Deepal S07 is primed to be offered here with a single-motor drivetrain good for 160kW electric motor, however a more powerful 190kW motor is available in China.

Expect the S07 to come with either a 66.8kWh or 79.87kWh battery pack good for up to 520km and 628km respectively, although those figures were recorded on the more lenient CLTC test cycle.

A range-extender hybrid is also available in China which uses a small 1.5-litre combustion engine as a generator to top up the batteries when low on charge.

Measuring in at 4750mm long, 1930mm wide, 1625mm tall and riding on a 2900mm wheelbase, the S07 shares a similar footprint to the Model Y but is fractionally narrower than its American rival.

Tipping the scales at 2073kg, Deepal quotes a maximum braked towing capacity of 1500kg (750kg unbraked).

All variants are expected to ride on large 20-inch wheels and come with high levels of standard equipment, including a large 15.6-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay, augmented reality sat-nav, gesture control and over-the-air updates.

Wireless charging, ambient lighting, a 14-speaker sound system, adaptive cruise control, advanced autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear-cross traffic alert, driver fatigue monitoring and auto high-beam will also be included.

Full specification and pricing are tipped to be announced in the coming weeks ahead of its pre-December release.

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