Spotted: 2023 Changan CS55 Plus II being tested in PH

Changan may be one of China's Big 4 auto brands, but they're one of the relative newcomers in the Philippine automotive industry. They officially began their sales a little less than two years ago, and currently, they only have a three-car lineup that consists of the Alsvin subcompact sedan, the CS35 Plus, and the CS75 Plus crossovers.

But now, it looks like Changan Motor Philippines is gearing up to introduce its next model. A car enthusiast named Gian Seller spotted an eye-catching crossover traveling along SLEX with its badges covered. After a quick search on the internet, we found out that this is the second-generation Changan CS55 Plus II.

The CS55 Plus II made its debut at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show, and it's indeed a looker. Design-wise, it looks closer to the youthful CS75 Plus with its massive front grille that somewhat follows Changan's UNI models available in the Chinese market. Its dimensions are as follows: 4500 mm long, 1855 mm wide, and 1690 mm high, which puts the CS55 Plus II closer in terms of size to the Geely Azkarra and the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro.

On the inside, the CS55 Plus II's interior is definitely unique when compared to what the local Changan models have. In fact, it somewhat echoes Peugeot's i-Cockpit design, especially with the way its compact steering wheel was shaped along with the digital gauge cluster. The rest gives modern Chinese car vibes, as the CS55 Plus II gets a huge touchscreen for the infotainment system and a sweeping dashboard design.

When it comes to its powertrain, the Changan CS55 Plus II uses a newer 1.5-liter, four-cylinder turbo engine called the Blue Whale NE series. The engine produces 188 PS with 300 Nm of torque and is mated to a seven-speed wet-type dual-clutch automatic transmission that drives the front wheels. Compared to the bigger CS75 Plus, the new engine has 10 PS and 35 Nm more, while it has an extra seventh gear in its transmission.

Changan has yet to officially announce any details regarding the launch of the CS55 Plus II. But once it goes on sale, it will slot in between the CS35 Plus subcompact crossover and the bigger CS75 Plus, similar to how Chery markets the Tiggo 5X Pro, Tiggo 7 Pro, and the Tiggo 8 Pro.