How a Family SUV Should Be: Deepal S05 Has It All

On August 6, the new Deepal S05 launched, with a limited-time promotional price ranging from 115,900 to 144,900 yuan. This price is not rare in the compact SUV market. What is rare is that since its launch, this car has been sold in 73 countries and regions globally, cumulatively gaining over 250,000 users, with global monthly sales breaking 20,000 units.

Why does a compact SUV of a Chinese brand make Spanish people pay, British people place orders, and Southeast Asian families queue up for cars?

The answer might be simpler than you imagine. It's not about groundbreaking black technology, but about making "what a family car should look like" into perfection.

A 2880 mm wheelbase solves the most practical pain points of a family

For people with kids at home choosing a car, what do they look at first? Looks? Power? Intelligent driving? To be honest, these must be put aside. The first thing seen is space—can the back seat fit a child safety seat plus have space for people, and can the trunk fit a stroller plus two carry-on luggage pieces.

The new Deepal S05 has a car length of 4620 mm, looking like a standard compact SUV body. But the wheelbase reaches 2880 mm, which is 130 mm longer than the Geely Galaxy E5 of the same level. Where is the difference of 130 mm? It's in that after installing a child safety seat, an adult can still sit beside it to take care of the child; it's in that a tall dad hugging the child to get in doesn't hit his head; it's in that for a family of five going out, three people in the back row don't have to sit shoulder to shoulder.

Car owners have tested it, two child safety seats can be installed in the back row simultaneously, and an adult can still sit in the middle. This is the most real scenario for family cars: not that one person driving is cool, but that the whole family sits comfortably.

Storage space is also thought of for you. The pure electric version has a 159-liter frunk, putting a backpack, computer, charging cable is no problem. The trunk standard volume is 492 liters, easily fitting a stroller plus two carry-on luggage. The whole car has 37 storage spaces, passenger glovebox, door panel hooks, 15-liter open storage compartment under the center console, kids' toys, wet wipes, water cups all have a place to be put.

Details-wise, the ISOFIX child safety seat interface position is reasonable, assembly and disassembly are handy; rear seats can be folded completely flat, temporarily acting as a "mobile big bed" to rest; 1.9 square meters of panoramic sunroof makes the cabin open and not oppressive. These things separately taken out are not much groundbreaking design, but together, they are what a family car should look like, letting you not have to choose between "fitting in" and "sitting comfortably."

Overseas markets voted with sales, and voted very loudly

If space is "tactile feeling", then sales are "solid proof".

Deepal S05 reached 18,866 units in global sales in May this year, a year-on-year growth of 102.71%. In China, monthly sales exceeded 10,000 for three consecutive months. Overseas, it ranked first in Spanish compact pure electric SUV registration volume for two consecutive months. By the end of May, global cumulative sales exceeded 220,000 units.

What is behind these numbers? It is trust votes cast by users from different countries, different road conditions, and different driving habits with real money.

Overseas media also gave good reviews. German 'Auto Bild' evaluation was "advanced technology, ultra-long warranty and highly competitive pricing". UK 'Autocar' said it "integrated strong cost-performance ratio and solid performance expression". Dutch auto media reviewed the chassis after test drive as "stable, smooth and precise".

A car selling well domestically might be because marketing is done well. Selling well in 73 countries, that means the product itself is capable.

Regarding safety, Deepal is not bargaining with you

Families with kids choosing a car, safety is always the bottom line. Deepal S05 did not use the "base version cut down specs, high specs only given" trick on this matter: all trims standard CATL cells and Golden Armor Battery, 600,000 km degradation imperceptible, million sales zero overheating. All trims 6 airbags. All trims standard LiDAR and AEB automatic emergency braking.

Picking up and dropping off kids from school, on the road cars are many, people are many, sudden situations are many. LiDAR can identify pedestrians and obstacles in advance even on rainy foggy days and at night. AEB can actively brake when the driver is inattentive. These things you might never use in your life, but if you use them once, it might be the difference between life and death.

Car ownership costs are also an account family users cannot avoid. Pure electric version home charging cost 0.06 yuan per km, calculated at 20,000 km per year, annual electricity cost is about 1,800 yuan. Maintenance average 500 to 800 yuan per year. Compared to gas cars, the money saved in a year is enough to sign up for two more interest classes for the child.

From China to Global, Deepal S05 walks a "stupid" road

There is a common play in the automotive industry, first compete on specs, compete on price in China, wait until it cannot be competed anymore then go overseas to try luck. Deepal S05 takes another road: build cars according to global standards from the beginning.

Body safety is developed according to European 5-star standard. Right-hand drive version launched in the UK in March. Thailand factory has started production, radiating to the global right-hand drive vehicle market. In the future it will also land in Singapore, Australia and other markets, targeting coverage of 150 countries and regions globally.

Where is this road "stupid"? Stupid is that it cannot live off subsidies from a certain market, stupid is that it must let users in every market feel "this car is worth this price". Germans are picky, British are conservative, Southeast Asian users value cost-performance ratio, satisfying all these people, relying not on marketing talking points, but on solid product capability.

The upgrade of the new Deepal S05, to put it plainly, is just one thing: doing all the things a family SUV should do well. Space is big enough, sitting is comfortable, using saves money, driving is safe, then put these "things previously thought only for expensive cars" like LiDAR, end-to-end algorithms, variable suspension into it, without raising the price.

This is not any deep commercial logic, it is just the most simple sentence: Good things, everyone recognizes.