Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
China’s GAC Group, which includes GAC Motor, Aion, Hyptec, and Trumpchi sub-brands, announced Monday it is expanding to Europe next year.
Less than two weeks after most EU member states voted to impose additional tariffs on imported Chinese electric vehicles, GAC’s head of international business, Wei Haigang, unveiled ambitious plans for Europe, including the possibility of local production based on demand.
The first model from the Guangzhou-headquartered group arriving in Europe will the second-generation SUV Aion V with GAC planning to sell across the entire European market within the next four years.
Next month, at the Guangzhou Auto Show, GAC will unveil a new fully electric model under its brand Aion.
Based on the teaser image shared by the company’s Design Team with EV on Wednesday, the model will be an electric hatchback with initial deliveries in China expected for next year with the arrival in the European market following in late 2025.
Two years ago, in late 2022, the group opened its Advanced Design Center in Milano, Italy while the European headquarters are located in the Dutch capital Amsterdam.
At the Paris Auto Show, which runs until Sunday, GAC Group is currently showcasing the Trumpchi ES9, Trumpchi E9 PHEV, Hyper HT, and Hyper SSR. About 1 million people are expected to attend the fair this year.
As it targets 500,000 vehicles sold outside China by 2030, the Group is considering setting up a technology center in Europe
In an interview with Reuters, Wei Haigang said GAC is “actively exploring” the possibility of manufacturing in Europe to mitigate the potential impact of steep tariffs, which vary by manufacturer.
“The tariffs issue definitely has an impact on us. However, all this can be overcome in the long term … I am positive there is going to be a way to get it all resolved,” Wei Heigang said before adding that, “Local production would be one of the ways to resolve this. We are very actively exploring this possibility.”
GAC also announced that is building a localized service network and aims to establish “a European transit warehouse by 2025 to enhance the efficiency of parts supply” to cover most markets in the continent by 2028.
At the show, Thomas Schemera, who served nearly 6 years at Hyundai as Chief Marketing Officer, was announced as the new Senior Vice President and Global Chief Operating Officer of GAC to support the European expansion.
GAC has recently appointed Benoit Jacob to join Zhang Fan, the chief of the R&D center, on design and innovation development.
In 2003, Benoit Jacob moved to BMW where he worked, among other models, in the Megacity vehicle which later became the i3 model. In 2010, Benoit was appointed to lead the design of the sub-brand BMW i.
Later on, in 2016, the designer moved to the Hong Kong-based startup Byton where he stayed for five years before switching to Nio in 2021 as Vice President (VP) of Design for a “Strategic Project,” which later on became the company’s first sub-brand.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
