Changan crossovers spotted in Batangas
A few weeks ago we reported that the commercial vehicle lineup of the Changan brand in the country, distributed by Berjaya Auto Asia (BAAI), will be renamed to Kaicene. We also reported that the passenger car lineup of Changan may be introduced in the country, but under another distributor.
Well it looks like we will be seeing yet another Chinese car brand soon and it’s definitely Changan. While scrolling through Facebook, we saw some photos posted by user Mike Papio on the Geely Coolray Owners Club group. The photos were taken in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. He spotted two crossovers with the badges covered on the tailgate and on the wheels. A sheet of bond paper taped on the windshield reads “L.T.O. Test Drive Vehicle.” A simple and quick research helped us confirm that these are indeed Changan crossovers.
The first photos are of the Changan CS35 Plus subcompact crossover. This one can compete with the MG ZS, Chery Tiggo 5X, and Geely Coolray which are sold locally. Based on the Saudi Arabian Changan website, it is powered by a 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine making 156 horsepower and 260 Nm of torque, paired to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.
This next crossover was sent to us through private message, also taken by Mike. At first it may look like a new model from Hyundai, but no it’s not. It’s actually a Changan CS75 Plus. This midsize crossover is a much more recent model, launched just last year. It can probably take on the likes of the Geely Azkarra and Chery Tiggo 8, and perhaps even the upcoming MG RX8 depending on the specs and seating capacity. It is powered by either a 1.5-liter or 2.0-liter gasoline engine, both choices turbocharged. The former makes 178 hp while the latter makes a 233 hp, paired to a 6-speed automatic transmission.
According to a source, the possible distributor of Changan vehicles in the Philippines is no other than the same people behind Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), the official distributor of Hyundai passenger cars, trucks and buses in the Philippines. As to when, we do not know when but one thing is for sure, these new models will surely spice up the market even more, and may possibly even specifically give Geely crossovers more direct competitors.
Changan’s passenger vehicles were once available in the country together with their light commercial vehicles as Chana, distributed by Focus Ventures. Eventually the brand was transferred to Berjaya Auto Asia which now only sells the commercial vehicle lineup.
