Gac M8 News

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.

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. 

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

GAC says it has already done Australian tuning prior to its local launch

Another Chinese carmaker has confirmed its arrival in Australia.GAC — or Guangzhou Automobile Company — has long made no secret of its plans to launch in Australia, but now we know its first vehicles will go on sale in just a matter of weeks.Deputy General Manager of GAC Australia Cheney Liang said, “Launching GAC in Australia is an exceptional milestone for our brand.""I have no doubt that Australian customers will welcome our range of high-quality, innovative models with keen interest, and become accustomed to the elevated ownership experience we are set to offer.”The newcomer will launch in Australia with a three strong line-up, with petrol, plug-in hybrid and electric power on the menu.First up is the Aion V mid-size electric SUV, which is pitched at the Geely EX5, Tesla Model Y and Kia EV5.Then it is the big M8 plug-in hybrid people mover to target the Kia Carnival. Finally there is the Emzoom petrol-powered small SUV, which is aimed at the MG ZS, Chery Tiggo 4 and Haval Jolion.GAC Australia hasn’t revealed any details of the vehicles, but why have previously appeared in government homologation documents.We know the Aion V will be fitted with a single electric motor making 150kW and 240Nm.A circa-75kWh battery delivers a claimed driving range of 602km, via the more generous NEDC test cycle.The bulky M8 people mover uses a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine and electric motor to produce a combined 274kW and 630Nm..This is paired with a 25.5kWh battery that allows for up to 120km of electric only driving, again calculated via the NEDC testing regime.It has a total claimed combined range of 1032km thanks to a 56L fuel tank. It has a DC charging capability of 40kW, allowing for a 30-80 per cent charge in half an hour.GAC’s Emzoom compact SUV uses a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine to make 125kW, which is paired to a seven-speed automatic transmission that drives the front wheels.GAC is no minnow, having sold more than two million vehicles globally in 2024.It also has several key partnerships, including with Toyota. This partnership has delivered several Toyota electric vehicles in China using GAC’s technology.One vehicle is the Toyota bZ3X, which has just launched in Hong Kong, another right-hand drive market.It uses a 150kW/210Nm front-mounted electric motor, with range stated at 565km although this is to the more lenient NEDC standard.The 70kWh LFP battery has some limitations, namely just 90kW peak charging speed on DC, with the AC inverter also limited to 6.6kW, making for comparatively slow charging times.