Gac News

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

The latest Chinese brand to land in Australia has revealed its Toyota RAV4 rival and opened the order books overseas giving us our best look yet at what the Aion i60 could offer when it lands locally. It was only weeks ago that new Chinese brand GAC (Guangzhou Automobile Company) finally locked-in its arrival in Australia with news the launch of its Aion V SUV slated for this month.Now we’ve been given a look into what could be the near future with the brand revealing specifications and opening orders in China for its newest SUV - the Aion i60.The Aion i60 shares the same 2775mm wheelbase as the Aion V but has larger overall dimensions which sees it measuring 4685mm end to end, 1854mm wide and 1660mm tall.   However, the Aion i60 will be available in China not only as a fully electric but also as a petrol-hybrid variant. Powering the EV will be one electric motor, with buyers able to choose between 150kW or 165kW units.Meanwhile the hybrid will be offered with a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine and electric motor offering  a combined range of up to 1250km and a claimed fuel consumption of 5.5L/100km (CLTC).What sets this one apart from many of its rivals like the Chery Tiggo 7 is its range-extender set-up where the engine isn't connected to the wheels and it is driven by electric motor only, similar to Nissan's e-Power technology.Prices for the Aion i60 in China start at the equivalent of $25,700 for the electric variant and step up to $27,200 for the hybrid.The Aion i60 shares a similar design to the Aion V, but in a larger package and with different head- and taillight styling. There’s the angular lines with building wheel guards, the high bonnet and flat roofline that create a traditional SUV shape seen on many mid-sized rivals such as the RAV4 and Mitsubishi Outlander.The new SUV is a five-seater with a minimalist looking interior featuring a portrait style media screen, and large centre console featuring dual wireless phone charging pads.GAC is yet to confirm if the Aion i60 will be coming to Australia, but given the competitiveness of the mid-sized SUV market locally and the taste for hybrids over fully electric models, it would be a surprise if the new brand wasn't considering it.

What to expect from GAC

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.

Another competitor is about to enter the competitive Aussie SUV market. Chinese brand GAC (Guangzhou Automobile Group) has applied to sell a mid-size SUV, the EMZOOM, a Department of Infrastructure filing confirms. This is the third addition to GAC's launching range in Australia, with a starting price is still to be confirmed. Details are scarce, but we know it’s powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that produces 125kW, driven by a seven-speed auto to the front wheels.This is the same engine as the popular GS3 EMZOOM that is on sale in South East Asia, so from this, the Australian variant will likely complete the 0-100km/h sprint in roughly eight seconds. The EMZOOM is listed as a five-seater SUV, with dimensions of 4410mm in length, 1850mm in width, 1600mm in height and a 2650mm wheelbase.This means it will face fierce competition from big sellers such as Chery Tiggo 4, MG ZS and Kia Seltos.The car features a sporty look with a coupe-style design and sharp lines on the body panels. It will have 18-inch wheels, coming as standard with a sunroof and semi-autonomous tech. The EMZOOM is the latest in a now three-strong Aussie lineup promised by GAC that includes the M8 people mover and Aion V SUV. The M8 is GAC’s luxury seven-seater people mover that comes as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), which is a point of difference with alternatives in Australia. The 2.0-litre turbo PHEV set-up produces a combined 174kW and 660Nm and shifts the car from 0-100km/h in 8.8 seconds. The Aion V is a mid-size SUV option soon to be offered in Australia by GAC, but it is fully electric. The Thai variant of the Aion V has a single-motor that produces 150kW and 240Nm, while offering a generously claimed NEDC range of 602km.The Aion V will be a direct competitor to BYD’s all-electric Sealion 7. The Sealion 7 has been a raging success in the SUV market, fending off other electric options and also eating into ICE market share.GAC’s launch plans in Australia were scheduled for mid-2025, but it's rumoured it will still launch before the end of the year. 

GAC finally closes in on its Australian debut - with two models now appearing in the road vehicle descriptor database.

China’s GAC has been teasing an Australian launch for years but it finally appears set to happen later this year.

The days of ultra-cheap Chinese cars could be numbered, as the Chinese government starts to loot at regulating the ongoing price-war being waged between BYD, GWM, SAIC and others.

One of Toyota’s joint-ventures in China has confirmed at a tech conference that its next-generation Highlander SUV - the Kluger to Australians - will be available with a range-extender or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) system.GAC Toyota, the two-decade-old Chinese joint-venture between GAC Group and Toyota Motor Company, announced in a presentation that a number of plug-in hybrid models are in development for the Chinese market, many of which may not be necessarily relevant to global markets.But the next-generation Toyota Kluger is a model that will yield high interest here in Australia, so whether the Chinese market development becomes available outside GAC Toyota’s home market is something Australia is likely to have an eye on.Seen on slides at the 2025 GAC Toyota Technology Day via images published on AutoHome, the next-gen Kluger and Sienna people mover both form the range-extender EV (REEV) and plug-in hybrid part of the brand’s multi-pathway approach in China.While the ‘multi-pathway’ term will sound familiar to anyone following Toyota’s global move towards the next generation of powertrains - be that EV, hybridisation, or even hydrogen - in China it might be a more localised version of the philosophy.According to reports, Toyota is decentralising its product planning to better compete in the fast-moving Chinese market, meaning Japan will have less direct involvement in deciding what the GAC Toyota line-up looks like.Traditional hybrid and full BEV models are both a large part of the plan, with the former set to be moving into its sixth generation of development alongside the proliferation of its fifth generation. Toyota’s EV model line-up on the other hand is set to expand, with solid-state batteries to be mass-produced as soon as possible.GAC Toyota exists in China alongside FAW Toyota, which also imports and produces a relatively established line-up of Toyota models for the market and has also existed since the early 2000s. Both GAC and FAW’s Toyota joint-ventures sell a version of the Kluger in China.Toyota is also set to work with Chinese brands like Xiaomi and Huawei to develop technology for future models, while it’s already a couple of years into a joint venture with EV and hybrid car giant BYD (on products like the bZ3 sedan).As recently as 2024, Toyota North America’s General Manager David Christ told CarBuzz that BEVs would be a big part of the US product plan, with the outlet confirming the Highlander (Kluger) would be available as an EV model. It’s not clear if this is still the case, nor whether it would be available in other export markets like Australia.Currently, Australian market Klugers with their hybrid 2.5-litre four-cylinder powertrains are produced in Toyota’s Motor Manufacturing Indiana plant in the US, along with the related Lexus TX and the Toyota Sienna people-mover.CarsGuide has contacted Toyota Australia for comment regarding the next-gen Kluger and potential collaboration with China.

Australia get ready for another ute from another brand because Chinese carmaker GAC has confirmed it will bring the production version of its GAC Pickup 01 concept Down Under.