Gac News

2025 was certainly the year of the new car brand coming to Australia.

The new-generation Toyota HiLux is among five models that have just learned their safety fate.

Another budget-friendly mid-size SUV has just been unveiled in China.

One newcomer Chinese brand is planning a multi-model takeover of Australia's new car market, leaning on its global partnership with Toyota to launch into 10 vehicles segments over the next five years.

New-to-Australia brand GAC, which has operated in China since the 1990s, has launched with a pricing tactic contradictory to many Chinese brands Down Under.Speaking to CarsGuide ahead of the launch, Deputy General Manager of GAC Australia Cheney Liang said the brand won’t chase low prices to attract customers.The thinking behind it is that GAC believes it has a product not directly comparable to rivals, and lowering its sticker prices would devalue what it believes to be higher-quality cars.“We are not chasing the same outright, aggressive pricing strategy as has been seen in the market recently, as we feel this undermines the quality and level of innovation,” Liang told CarsGuide.One of the key reasons GAC won’t be dropping pricing to the floor, Liang said, is that the brand has worked closely with Toyota and Honda in China for the last two decades, meaning it has learned plenty from the legacy Japanese brands.“In terms of our existing manufacturing facility, we have had exceptional partnership with Toyota and Honda to build and manufacture their vehicles for the domestic market. “We have learned a lot from them, and we believe that the customer will have a different experience by driving GAC.”The other main reason, Liang says, is GAC has already tested and tuned its three key offerings for Australia.“When we picked the models, we came to Australia. We have, we have already done the Australian test,” Liang confirmed.“All the models have already been sent to Australia one year ago to do the road test, and we got some feedback after finishing the test."The Aion V mid-size electric SUV, the M8 plug-in hybrid people mover, and the Emzoom compact SUV will all arrive with Australian-specific tuning.“What we believe is the vehicle price and value, always depends on what the customers need."“GAC would not always be the cheapest one, even in other countries, but most of the customers who have owned a GAC… they were impressed by the quality of GAC. “We hope that our price will match the value that we can bring to the customer.”The GAC Aion V, which should be a big-volume car for the brand, starts from $42,590 before on-roads, while the Emzoom small SUV kicks off from $25,590.The M8 plug-in is pricier at $76,590, but also more feature-packed.GAC M8While pricing for the Emzoom isn’t the lowest for its class, the Aion V’s starting price puts it very low for an electric mid-size SUV. It sits with the Geely EX5 ($40,990) and smaller BYD Atto3 ($44,990) for pricing.But don’t bring that up with GAC, as before pricing was confirmed Liang specifically said the aim wasn’t to battle other brands on price.“We don't want directly compared with other brands. What we want is, we hope, the customer to feel that the value and the price are equal.”All three of GAC’s models are available to order now.

New Chinese brand GAC says it has a secret weapon to crack the competitive Australian market, saying it has learnt from Toyota and will launch with vehicle quality that matches that of the Japanese giant.

A new budget SUV has hit the Aussie new car market. The GAC (Guangzhou Automobile Group) Emzoom steps into the competitive compact SUV battleground as a five-seater, starting from $25,590, before on-road costs.It's powered by a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine sending 125kW and 270Nm to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch auto transmission.It has a combined cycle fuel efficiency figure of 5.4L/100km, along with 47-litre fuel tank capacity. The car gets some neat features as standard including a panoramic sunroof and powered liftgate.Other interior features include a 14.6-inch multimedia touchscreen and 7.0-inch digital driver’s display, while also offering 50-watt wireless device charging. There is plenty of other useful tech on board, with a 360-degree camera view, automatic parking functionality and lane keep assist. It will have to take on several big hitters in pursuit of sales but comes in significantly cheaper than the likes of the Toyota Corolla Cross, which starts from $37,440, before on-road costs. It is also cheaper than the strong-selling Hyundai Kona and is similarly priced to the MG ZS. That pair combined for nearly 30 per cent of local small SUV sales in October. The Emzoom is one of three GAC models in the brand's Aussie launch. The Aion V joins as an all-electric mid-size SUV, starting from $42,590, before on-road costs. Its single electric motor pumps out 150kW and 210Nm to the front wheels, while its 75.26kWh battery delivers a WLTP range of 510km. DC fast charging from 10-80 per cent takes 24 minutes, while AC charging time from 0-100 per cent takes over eight hours. The Aion V will need to hunt down Geely’s EX5 that's had a bumper first year in Australia, achieving more than 3000 sales so far in 2025. GAC’s third offering is the premium M8 plug-in hybrid people mover, which is a seven-seater starting from $76,590, before on-road costs. GAC claims the combined range of this people mover, in a space traditionally dominated by internal combustion engines, is more than 1000km.This impressive range is in part due to its 25.57kWh battery that can charge from 0-80 per cent in half an hour. Its set-up includes a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine and dual electric motors, which produce 274kW/630Nm.The M8 will have to take on the imposing force of the Kia Carnival in the people mover segment, that accounted for nearly 86 per cent of sales in October 2025. 

GAC has launched its Aion i60 Toyota RAV4 fighter in China giving those of us watching from Australia a better look at the mid-sized SUV, which might make its way Down Under.Aion is a sub-brand of GAC and the i60 is RAV4 sized at 4685mm long and even has more than a passing resemblance to the popular Toyota SUV and it’s available not only as a hybrid but as a full EV as well.Details of the two powertrains have been revealed with the fully electric i60 equipped with a 75kWh battery with a range of up to 650km (CLTC), while the hybrid combines a 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor offering up to an impressive 1240km in travel distance.Pricing for the i60 begins at A$24,000 for the entry grade i60 in China.The Aion V has similar styling inside and out to the Aion V, which has just launched in Australia. Both SUVs are five seaters and have the same wheelbase, but the i60 is a longer SUV overall and offers more boot space.The i60 will be available in six colours including Warm Velet Gold, Galaxy Blue and Holographic Silver.Whether the i60 makes it to Australia is uncertain. GAC has only recently arrived in Australia but has already announced several models cherry picked from its various sub-brands to go on sale locally. These include the Aion V, the M8 people mover and its Emzoom small SUV.The Aion i60 is just another model the gigantic GAC may choose next for an Australian launch.GAC’s arrival in Australia comes later than many other Chinese brands such as Geely, Zeekr, Leapmotor, BYD and Xpeng, but the company’s size and battery making ability could make it hard to beat.

GAC to launch with feature-packed small SUV

New arrival brand GAC, or Guangzhou Automobile Group, has set a very lofty sales goal for its first couple of years in Australia.