Another new Chinese brand in Australia! GAC, which uses Toyota hybrid systems, to launch Trumpchi hybrid and Aion electric models to rival both Toyota Kluger and Tesla Model Y in 2025, wants to do more than just "flog off" cheap cars

Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) has confirmed plans to launch a range of electric and hybrid vehicles in Australia by 2025. 

The announcement follows last year’s promise that Chinese state-owned GAC’s Aion electric car brand would reach our shores, with AGA Auto Australia now named as official importer of all GAC products.

GAC and Aion’s Australian model portfolio is a long way from being finalised, however, an as-yet unseen Corolla-sized electric car has been all-but confirmed as has the new Model Y-sized Aion V. A GS8 hybrid large SUV and M8 people mover are also likely. 

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The second generation Aion V was revealed at the 2024 Beijing Auto Show measuring 4.6 metres long. Powertrain and interior details are yet to be confirmed but the bluff medium SUV should pack around 450-600km driving range, 400-volt electrics with either LFP or NMC batteries which will eventually be made in-house. 

The unnamed, unseen, Corolla-sized electric hatch will be key for Aion to battle the MG4 and the BYD Dolphin in Australia. Like the Aion V, details are unconfirmed. 

Moving away from EVs, GAC makes Toyotas in China including the Camry, Kluger, Corolla and previous-gen C-HR under a long-standing joint venture. GAC also constructs its own line of vehicles sold under the Trumpchi brand, some of which use Toyota hybrid technology.

The mooted-for-Australia GS8 is a Hyundai Palisade-sized seven-seat SUV sold in China with a fourth-gen Toyota hybrid system with e-CVT hooked up to the brand’s own 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder. 

The GAC GS8 is roughly Palisade-sized

It develops 174kW/391Nm, or 10kW shy of a similarly-sized Toyota Kluger hybrid AWD. The GS8’s fuel consumption is rated at 5.8L/100km under the more generous NEDC protocol. 

The Toyota hybrid system may not make it to Australian GS8s, though, owing to potential conflicts with the Big T selling hybrid tech locally in direct rivals. Aion Australia Chief Operating Officer Charles Lau admitted that the importer was yet to address this issue. 

Lucky then that GAC has its own ‘Mega Wave’ hybrid system. The brand doesn’t say so, but it has surely been influenced by Toyota’s approach. It also offers a plug-in hybrid ES9 version of the seven-seat larger SUV. The Toyota Alphard-like M8 people mover is also under study as one of the first models for the Australian market. 

GAC’s More exotic Hyper range could arrive further in the future but there are no immediate plans. The three models sold at home use 800-volt architecture and promise some wild charging statistics – at China’s 480kW DC pylons the GT performance sedan promises to rejuvenate 450km driving range (WLTC) in as little as 10 minutes. 

The Hyper GT is a Model 3 Performance rival.

The Hyper SSR super car, meanwhile, boasts a 0-100km/h sprint of just 1.9 seconds and 880kW. Aion’s halo model costs the equivalent of A$260,000 in China, so the Corvette E-Ray rival is a serious piece of kit. 

When it comes to branding, much like GWM’s Haval and Ora brands, GAC will keep its lines separate. The Aion electric cars will wear distinct badging to the Trumpchi/GAC hybrid products though will likely coexist in sales spaces. 

Mr Lau also told CarsGuide that, although there’s been no mention yet, a ute is something that AGA Auto would jump at for Australia. 

Discussing sales models, Mr Lau said traditional dealer franchise, direct-to-consumer – like Tesla and Genesis – and agency models, as Mercedes-Benz and Honda offer, are all under consideration.

Boxy and chunky, we like the new Aion V.

“The one that stands out, realistically, to us is the agency/dealer hybrid model”, said Mr Lau. “We want to build a brand that is here to be sustainable more than – in crude terms – flog off as many cars as we can and no more.”

The ability to carry spare parts and control the consumer process better was one of the benefits. Not unlike BYD’s model with MyCar service centres and Ineos’ Bosch relationship, CarsGuide understands that GAC will look to partner with other service providers to improve coverage. 

Australia will form the next step in GAC’s global expansion after the brand has begun reaching into select Middle Eastern, European, South American and African markets. 

Unlike Chery, BYD or MG which are imported by factory-owned operations, GAC and Aion will be imported by independent AGA Auto. The company has no track record of vehicle importing in Australia, starting life in 2002 as an inbound tour travel agency greeting guests from China. 

The M8 people-mover is also under consideration.

Later in the 2010s, the company entered the automotive market in China running several dealers that shift combustion, hybrid and electric vehicles. Mr Lau said this gave the company unique insight having “been at the forefront of current price wars in China.”

The importer has been quiet on exact arrival timing but noted that Australian Design Rules (ADRs) can be tricky to navigate for new players. Mr Lau Indicatied that getting the product right for the market would come before announcing a final launch date. 

Australian suspension tuning – something that’s been so popular for Hyundai and Kia – is on the cards too. There was no mention of ADAS localisation, but other brands’ roll outs have proven this is important, if not more so, than chassis tuning for our market. 

Further details of GAC and Aion’s Australian launch and product portfolio will be revealed closer to the brand’s launch in 2025.