With the May auto market sales figures released, some celebrate while others worry. Yet Changan Automobile's performance report showing 209,100 units still made quite a few people sit up and take notice. It wasn't the total volume—for Changan's scale has always been there—but the 'value' within that performance report, carrying a distinct flavor compared to usual.
We need to temporarily shift our gaze away from the over-discussed 'involution' domestic market. What caught my attention most about Changan this time is not the 5.8% growth in NEVs, nor the individual performance of Qiyuan or Deepal, but that set of data: overseas deliveries of 70,700 units, a year-over-year increase of 38%. Nearly one-third of sales come from overseas; in the context of all Chinese automotive brands, this proportion is quite staggering.
You should know, just last month, Changan officially announced becoming the global official partner of the Portugal national football team. At that time, many thought this was just another sports marketing campaign. But looking at the overseas sales in May combined, you will understand this is the key move of Changan's 'Inclusive as the Sea' Plan 2.0; the globalization strategy behind it is very clear - it's not just selling cars overseas, but becoming a true global brand.
In recent years, I've visited overseas factories of many domestic autonomous brands and witnessed various 'going global' models. Some just pull domestic stock cars out to make profit via exchange rates, while others sincerely build channels and provide services. Changan belongs to the latter, and is the type that 'fortifies its camp and fights steady battles'. Starting from Southeast Asia, it gradually planted its supply chain, service system, and brand awareness. This cooperation with the Portuguese national team is more like the horn signaling an entry into the mainstream European market. This composure and strategic determination, frankly, cannot be seen on many brands that are eager for quick success.
Making the overseas market work has an easily overlooked benefit: it can strengthen domestic product capability. The logic is simple: to meet the needs of different regions, road conditions, and regulatory standards globally, your product R&D standards must be 'set high, not low'.
Specifically regarding products, this feeling becomes more obvious. For example, Changan's Blue Whale Powertrain, previously everyone thought 'domestic engine' was just a gimmick. But look at the CS75 PLUS and Eado Blue Whale Super Engine models just launched in May, directly announcing a 'launch price from 79,900 CNY', while claiming 'fuel consumption halved'. This isn't a simple price war; it's a technology popularization war. Taking a set of mature, efficient powertrains and hitting the market at this price tests the integration capability of the entire supply chain and R&D system. For ordinary consumers, spending less money to get a more fuel-efficient and reliable car is a tangible gain. This is much more sincere than piling up smart configurations you won't use.
Speaking of intelligence, Changan's recent move is also worth pondering. Their self-developed 'Tianshu' piloting end-to-end technology is ready for mass production. Many media might boast about how many TOPS of computing power or how many sensors. But what I'd rather emphasize is the three words 'end-to-end'. This used to be the capital for top players like Tesla and Huawei to show off. Changan quietly made it the core of its own 'Beidou Tianshu 2.0' plan.
I've visited Changan's software center and seen their road test data. My feeling is that traditional big factories, once determined to transform, their accumulated strengths in hardware, chassis, and safety fields actually become advantages in the second half of intelligence development. A smart car must first be a car that is good to drive. Changan's intelligent driving solution feels relatively 'steady'. Unlike some new forces that are radical in showing off skills, it releases functions bit by bit while guaranteeing safety redundancy. This intelligence dominated by 'engineer thinking' might lack some buzz, but for users who actually drive daily, it feels much more reliable.
Of course, we can't just brag about technology; we must look at the performance of each sub-brand. Deepal Automobile's May sales reached 33,243 units, a 30% year-over-year increase, with overseas cumulative sales from January to May surging by an explosive 167%. This data is quite interesting. Deepal actually undertakes the role of the pioneer for Changan's 'youthification' and 'electrification'. Its design language and marketing methods are closer to today's young consumers. The explosive growth in overseas sales shows that this design aesthetic and technical route possesses global competitiveness. Avatr delivered 7,336 units in May. Although the absolute number isn't exaggerated, its significance lies in brand elevation, the deep binding with top tech companies like Huawei, providing the best 'credit endorsement' for Changan's technical reserves.
Changan Qiyuan delivered 34,528 units in May. The hero model Q05 alone sold 15,812 units, and even launched in Thailand where orders exceeded 3,000 in just three days. What does this show? It shows Changan's multi-brand strategy is no longer simply making cars out and selling them separately, but truly finding respective niche markets and target audiences. Qiyuan targets the 'basic' of family use, comfort, and cost-performance; Deepal attacks personality and sports; Avatr guards the high-end and technology. This set of combination punches is much more refined than the extensive 'having more sons to fight' tactics used by many brands.
Finally, we must return to 'people' and 'management'. Changan Automobile's transformation in recent years appears 'smooth' largely thanks to the management's strategic determination. From the 'Shangri-La' NEV plan, to the 'Beidou Tianshu' Intelligence plan, to the 'Inclusive as the Sea' Globalization plan, any one of these three would be enough to keep an auto company busy for ten years. Changan is doing all simultaneously and is genuinely advancing them.
Five years ago, if you told me Changan would become a global technology company, I might have put a question mark. But today, looking at these 209,000 monthly sales, seeing the 38% increase in the overseas market, and witnessing the tangible product launches behind names like Blue Whale, Tianshu, and Qiyuan, I think I can straighten out that question mark. For consumers, these grand narratives ultimately translate into a more fuel-efficient CS75, a better-handling Deepal, or a smarter Avatr. And this might just be the best proof of a car company's 'strategic correctness'.
