Tesla tamer? New Chinese brand Aion is coming to Australia and a fresh Hyper GT 'global model' could take the fight to Tesla Model 3, Polestar 2 and BYD Seal electric cars

GAC is taking aim at the Tesla Model 3 with its new “global model”.

A report from online publication CarNewsChina said the new car would be based on the Aion Hyper GT electric sedan and be revealed on June 6.

GAC - otherwise known as Guangzhou Automobile Group - announced it would arrive in Australia by 2025 along with its Aion electric-only sub brand.

The Aion Hyper GT is a mid-size sedan but it's slightly bigger than the Tesla Model 3.

It was launched in China last year and is priced from US$30,370 ($45,600), which is well below the Model 3’s $54,900 (before on-road costs) starting point in Australia.

GAC/Aion hasn’t confirmed whether the new model will be on the menu for Australia yet.

The Hyper GT uses a single rear-mounted electric motor to produce 250kW and 434Nm and it can complete the benchmark 0-100km/h sprint in 4.9 seconds.

It has a swappable battery, which removes the need for recharging and owners simply drive up to a battery swapping station and the depleted pack can be exchanged for a fully-juiced unit.

Chinese brand Nio has similar technology that can swap out the battery in about five minutes, which is a massive reduction on the usual recharging times for electric cars.

These charging swap stations are few and far between outside of China. Nio has installed a few in Scandinavia but there are none in Australia.

This could mean the global model will not use a swappable battery and may go without some of the head-turning design cues such as the supercar-like scissor doors.

It is believed the global model will have a driving range of up to 710km. This claim is likely based on the China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC), which is much more generous than the widely used Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP).

Advanced 800-volt charging architecture means the Hyper GT will be one of the fastest electric cars to top up. Hyundai, Kia and Porsche use this same charging set-up with max energy absorption rates of 350kW.

At China’s 480kW DC pylons the sedan promises to rejuvenate 450km driving range in as little as 10 minutes. 

No such high-powered chargers exist in Australia where the max 350kW stations are hard to come by.

Speaking to CarsGuide earlier this year, GAC and Aion’s local importer mooted several models that were likely for Australia initially.

This included the Aion V, which is the same size as a Tesla Model Y, an as-yet unseen Corolla-sized electric car, a GS8 hybrid large SUV and M8 people mover.