Changan strengthens UK operations amid rising pressure on Japanese brands

Changan is accelerating its UK expansion following the launch of the Deepal S07, securing new logistics and finance partnerships to boost aftersales support, dealer confidence and fleet readiness. The move comes as Chinese OEMs continue to reshape global markets — a shift hitting Japanese manufacturers harder than their European or US competitors.

What is Changan?
CHANGAN Automobile is a Chinese automotive manufacturer with over 18,000 engineers and technicians from 31 countries worldwide, and has established R&D network of ten cities in six countries in Chongqing, Beijing, Shanghai, Dingzhou in Hebei, Hefei in Anhui, Turin in Italy, Yokohama in Japan, Birmingham in the UK, Detroit in the US and Munich in Germany. We have a professional automotive R&D process and testing & verification system. Our extensive global network includes 79 branches, 14 manufacturing bases, and 9,000 dealerships, enabling a vast customer service network of nearly 120,000 staff in 77 countries.

The brand has taken 3,203m² of warehouse space at East Midlands Gateway via Kuehne + Nagel, enabling next-day parts availability across its expanding dealer network. The facility is designed to scale as five more models join the S07 by the end of 2026. Changan has also agreed a finance partnership with BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK, offering wholesale funding for dealer stock and flexible retail products.

Nic Thomas, managing director of Changan UK, said the combined agreements provide “the operational foundation to grow quickly and sustainably,” helping dealers and customers access parts and finance with confidence.

The strengthened infrastructure aligns with a wider surge in Chinese automotive exports. At the VRA conference, Dunne Insights CEO Michael Dunne said China will export almost eight million vehicles in 2025, up from one million in 2020 — a transformation “raising a lot of questions”. He warned that Japanese brands are losing the most, with Nissan and Honda “losing ground” as dealers report strong conquest sales to new Chinese entrants. Toyota remains the exception.

Changan aims to be a top-10 UK brand by 2030, supported by a network set to grow from 20 to 50 dealers by year-end and new fleet leadership under Richard Chamberlain.

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