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On our last adventure day to check out the Geely EX2 we managed to find a field of new GAC Aion compact electric cars. What a surprise! We couldn’t resist sitting in the one available, and Majella, of course, took lots of photos. Australia has gone from a dearth of affordable “small” EVs to a plethora. GAC has two cars in the Australian market — the GAC Aion UT (electric city hatch) and the GAC Aion V (midsize SUV). We were, unfortunately, unable to take a test drive.
Field of GAC Aion cars awaiting delivery. Photo courtesy Majella Waterworth.
GAC (Guangzhou Automobile Group) started life as Tongsheng Machining Plant in 1948. It is one of China’s largest state-owned automakers — selling over 2 million cars in 2021. GAC was the fourth largest Chinese carmaker at that time. It earned the nickname the “Chinese Toyota.” GAC currently has joint ventures with Honda and Toyota. Previously, GAC’s partners included Peugeot, Fiat, Chrysler, and Mitsubishi. GAC even partnered with BYD to make buses.
