Gac News

A brand new battery electric sedan made by Aion has been revealed in Chinese homologation documents ahead of the brand’s Australian debut next year.According to CarNewsChina, homologation documents submitted to the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) reveal the brand’s latest EV sedan, which the publication speculates could be named the Aion RT.The documents indicate two powertrain options that deliver either 150kW or 165kW. Both are paired with a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack, although its capacity was not provided.The Aion RT looks fairly conventional, with similar rounded edges, closed-off front end, sleek headlights and retractable door handles to the BYD Seal or Tesla Model 3.At the rear, slim tail lights expand across the tailgate, with a ‘AION’ logo between.The images also reveal an RT badge, accompanied by additional 'T' and 'VT' badges, most likely indicating other trims.Dimensions for the Aion RT come in at 4865mm long, 1875mm wide and 1520mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2775mm. That makes the RT bigger in all directions than a Tesla Model 3 or BYD Seal.Four curb weights were declared: 1670kg, 1700kg, 1750kg, and 1780kg.Additional interior and exterior features include six front and six rear LiDAR sensors, an optional sunroof, privacy class and the option of different coloured door handles and charging port cover to create a two-tone exterior trim.Aion is China’s third best-selling battery electric car brand behind BYD and Tesla. It is an electric-only subsidiary of the state-owned Gangzhou Automible Group (GAC), which announced it was eyeing up a 2025 entry into the Australian market back in May.GAC currently manufactures and retails vehicles under sub-brands Aion, Trumpchi and Hycan as well as foreign-branded vehicles through partnerships with Honda and Toyota.The brand’s model portfolio for Australia is yet to be determined, although it is rumoured to be spearheaded by the brand’s Model Y-sized Aion V SUV, which is priced at between ¥129,800 and ¥189,800 (A$27,000 to A$40,000).A GAC-branded GS8 hybrid large SUV and M8 people mover are also likely entrants.GAC’s more performance-focused Hyper range could arrive later, although it is not rumoured to be in the pipeline as of yet. It currently produces three models that utilise the brand’s 800-volt architecture, the Hyper GT sedan, the HT SUV and the SSR sports coupe.GAC has claimed each model can be charged to a range of 415kms in just 15 minutes, though this figure hasn’t been verified according to WLTP standards.

It’s like playing Whac-A-Mole. Almost weekly there are announcements from new brands promising better technology, longer driving ranges and cheaper prices coming to Australia and a great deal of them hail from China.

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

Australia's new-car market is set to "change dramatically", with the influx of Chinese brands, putting legacy car makers at real risk of failure.

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. 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. 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 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.“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. 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.