Changan Oshan X7- Has the Disruption Begun?

When Changan launched the Oshan X7 crossover few months ago, they called it a disruption in the CUV segment. The company recently celebrated achieving 25,000 units production milestone within a span of hardly 3 years of operations in the country.

Changan has witnessed good success with Karvaan minivan & its pickup derivative M9 Sherpa as well as the Alsvin subcompact sedan which has recently clocked past 10,000 units production milestone. And from the looks of it the Oshan X7 is on its way to achieve similar sort of success in our market.

More importantly, the X7 has already started to reach the hands of customers as opposed to those who booked other CUVs from competitors more than a year ago & still have no clue when they will get the deliveries of their vehicles. According to Changan, the deliveries of Oshan X7 were started in April and it has been able to resolve to manage vehicle deliveries with minimal delays despite widespread lockdown in China due to latest wave of COVID.

Since April 2022, Changan has delivered more units of local assembled Oshan X7 than Proton X70 which was launched in December 2020

One of the key reasons behind the success of Oshan X7 is surely the way it looks. Like Changan Alsvin, the Oshan X7 thanks to its catchy design stands out from the rest of the lot running on the roads and is truly a head turner. Gives owners some sort of pride to have a vehicle that gets real attention rather than driving ‘just another new car’.

Then comes the engine, the Oshan X7 has the most powerful 1.5L engine in our market. Touted as Pakistan’s first Euro 6 engine deployed in any locally assembled vehicle, the turbocharged unit churns out 185 hp of power and staggering 300 Nm of torque with power sent to the front wheels via 7-speed DCT gearbox with multiple customizable driving modes. The vehicle is backed by Changan’s 5-years/ 150,000 comprehensive warranty.

Interior of Changan Oshan X7

The interior features 10.25 inch HMI system, 7-inch digital meter cluster, multi-function flat-bottomed steering wheel, push button engine start/ stop, panoramic sunroof, climate control with touch panel, rear AC vents and heated & ventilated front seats etc. The Oshan X7 comes in 7-seat (Comfort) as well as 5-seat configurations (FutureSense) and after the recent hike, is priced at Rs 6.05 million and Rs 6.35 million, respectively.

While the 7-seat Comfort variant comes with cruise control, rear parking sensor, and front and back cameras, the flagship FutureSense variant comes with adaptive cruise control, front and back parking sensors, 360-view cameras, ventilated seats, radar detected collision warning and autonomous & assisted braking. Changan says its the only OEM in Pakistan to have tested autonomous self–driving technology and used the learnings to introduce “FutureSense” suite in the Oshan X7.

The Oshan X7 has also become the first vehicle to be exported by any OEM in the country under the new Auto Industry Development and Export Policy (AIDEP 2021–26). The global premier of Oshan X7 was done in Pakistan and viewed across all RHD markets digitally, resulting in the start of global exports of the vehicle.

From the looks of it the Changan Oshan X7 has got off to a flying start but with rising economic challenges and rapidly depreciating currency coupled with added duties, prices of new cars in Pakistan might go through yet another upward revision. Will Changan be able to maintain the progress of Oshan X7 in these tough times, we will have to wait to find out. However looking at the response it has received, one may believe that the disruption has already begun.

UsmanAnsari

A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com