The new Deepal L06 may not look wildly different from other Chinese electric sedans, but it packs something unique under its skin.
Deepal touts the L06 is the first model from a mass-market Chinese brand to feature magnetorheological suspension, which it’s quick to boast is the same technology found in Ferraris.
Of course, this technology was originally developed not by Ferrari but rather General Motors’ Delphi division, debuting in the 2002.5 Cadillac Seville and subsequently being used in a raft of GM products since then, including the Chevrolet Corvette. It’s also been used by other brands like Ford, which has fitted it in the Mustang.
These dampers use a magnetorheological fluid, containing iron particles, that’s controlled by a magnetic field. This allows the damping characteristics to be continuously controlled using a magnet.
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MagneRide technology is offered by Chinese-owned BWI Group, which acquired Delphi’s chassis division in 2009.
The firm announced in February it would supply its fourth-generation MagneRide technology to an unspecified “leading Chinese automaker”, who will put it in a sedan, SUV and a “high-performance vehicle” with an annual volume of 400,000 units and production commencing in mid-2025.
In addition to the Deepal L06 from Chinese giant Changan, BWI Group will also supply this suspension tech for the upcoming Polestar 5; the Swedish brand is owned by Chinese automaker Geely.
In a (translated) press release, Deepal says this tech delivers exceptional stability in the L06 with “no bouncing on steep inclines and no deviation during cornering” and “supercar-level handling and composure in daily driving”.
The L06 features MacPherson strut front and five-link rear suspension.
Deepal claims the L06 beat the Porsche 911 in the moose test at the China Automotive Technology and Research Center, achieving a speed of 85.6km/h.
The rear-wheel drive L06 features a single 200kW/290Nm electric motor, with claimed 0-100km/h acceleration times of between 5.9 and 6.2 seconds depending on the variant – fairly tame numbers in a market where the likes of Xiaomi offer dizzying performance.
It’s offered with either 56.12kWh or 68.82kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries from CATL, delivering 560km of range on the CLTC cycle with the former and 670km with the latter.
There’s also an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) version which features a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine as a range extender. This uses a smaller 28.39kWh battery and offers 240km of electric-only range.
Deepal name-checks Tesla, claiming the single-stage end-to-end intelligent assistance algorithm of its Deepal AD Max driver assistance system is like that of the American automaker’s, and claims its system features “the industry’s first mass-produced urban autonomous roaming function”.
This system is powered by 11 cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors, 3 radars and 1 LiDAR unit.
The Chinese automaker also says the L06 features an “industry-first four-map fusion real-scene lane-level navigation system” that “far surpasses mobile phone navigation”.
Inside, there’s a 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system and an augmented reality head-up display. Deepal also claims over 90 per cent of the interior’s surfaces use soft-touch materials.
The sedan measures 4830mm long, 1905mm wide and 1480mm tall on a 2900mm wheelbase. That makes it almost identical in size to two other vehicles in Deepal’s lineup: the SL03 EV and extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) liftback range, and the related L07 which is effectively an SL03 using a suite of technology from Huawei.
The SL03/L07 formed the base of the new Mazda 6e, due in Australia in mid-2026.
As for the Deepal brand, it launched here late in 2024 with the mid-size S07 electric SUV, following it up in September 2025 with the quirky E07 Multitruck. This unusual mash-up of a ute and an SUV is actually borrowed from Changan’s Nevo brand.
Deepal has also confirmed it’ll launch its small S05 electric SUV here, though it has yet to confirm any of its passenger cars or its large G318 off-road and S09 crossover SUVs.
To the end of October, Deepal has delivered 332 vehicles in Australia this year – with the caveat that its tallies didn’t appear in monthly VFACTS sales reports until May.
Nevertheless, Deepal’s genre-busting E07 Multitruck could be resonating more with Australian buyers, though it’s still too soon to sell.
In the two months of deliveries recorded, Deepal has shifted 115 E07 Multitrucks, against 217 examples of the more affordable S07 from May to the end of October.