Changan CS55 lands in Brazil from R$ 144,990 with flex and flex plug-in hybrid versions

The CS55 midsize SUV from the Changan-Caoa partnership has gone on sale in Brazil in three trims: Prime at R$ 144,990, Infinity at R$ 154,990 and PHEV at R$ 189,990. These are promotional launch prices valid only through September 19, with standard pricing yet to be announced. The two combustion versions are built locally at Caoa's Anápolis plant in Goiás, while the plug-in hybrid is imported from China.

The Brazilian-market versions carry a 1.5-liter turbocharged flex four-cylinder from the BlueCore family, producing 180 hp and 29.2 kgfm, sent to the front wheels through a seven-speed wet dual-clutch gearbox. Changan says the SUV shares its mechanical base with the Uni-t, and claims 0-100 km/h in 8.3 seconds. Inmetro-certified figures show city consumption of 7.3 km/l on ethanol and 10.4 km/l on gasoline.

The range-topping PHEV is the first application outside China of Changan's BlueCore Ultra-Hybrid plug-in flex platform, pairing the turbo engine with an electric motor for a combined 286 hp and 47.0 kgfm managed by a dedicated hybrid transmission. Official figures cite up to 42.2 km/l in the city, a 1,200 km total range and 0-100 km/h in 7.2 seconds; Changan says the flex-hybrid system required 24 months of joint development tailored to Brazil.

At 4.55 meters long, the CS55 is nearly 10 centimeters longer than the VW Taos and Toyota Corolla Cross, with a 525-liter trunk. For now only the Infinity trim is available from stock, with the Prime and PHEV sold to order.