The head of GAC Australia has called the Chinese car brand that recently arrived Down Under “China’s Toyota” – but that’s not as far-fetched as it sounds.
Based on pure market position, it’s not entirely accurate – even in its home market, GAC can’t boast of the commanding number one position that Toyota enjoys in markets like ours.
But GAC could be China’s Toyota because it makes China’s Toyotas. The state-owned automaker has joint ventures not only with the Japanese giant, but also with competitor Honda.
“We have a very good reputation in China and we also have very good products that we want to share with Australian consumers because consumers will accept us,” said Cheney Liang, deputy general manager of GAC Australia Daily Sparkz.
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“In Australia, Toyota is always number one. We are the Toyota of China, so we believe Australian consumers will love the products and GAC.
“We have learned a lot from Toyota and Honda. We have confidence in our products, they should be reliable products because we are the Chinese Toyota.”
“We also focus on service, which means both sales service and after-sales service,” he added. GAC sets up an Oceania parts distribution center in Melbourne.
The brand launches in Australia this month as a factory-backed operation with an initial three models sold through 12 dealers.
The company is targeting 1,000 sales this year, including the Emzoom small SUV, the Aion V mid-sized electric SUV and the large M8 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) people mover ranges. Pricing will be announced shortly before launch.
But its range and retail network will grow quickly, and GAC expects its sales to do the same. Two more models will be added in 2026 and another three in 2027, with the aim of being among the top 10 car brands by 2028 with 33,000 sales and a 90-strong sales network.
As expected from a brand with such close ties to Toyota and Honda, GAC sells hybrid vehicles in China. While Toyota hybrid technology was previously used, according to Liang, GAC has now switched to its own technology.
“Initially, we learned the (hybrid) technology from Honda and Toyota, and then we have our R&D center, we do research, we have our own hybrid powertrain. We also have our own PHEVs (EREVs),” he said.
Like Toyota, the company offers a wide range of powertrains and has confirmed petrol, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, electric and range-extended electric vehicles for Australia.
“Currently, Toyota is using some of the Aion V’s technologies,” said Mr. Liang, somewhat reversing the old order.
This mirrors what other non-Chinese brands are doing in China, with Toyota also using technology from BYD and Volkswagen Group using SAIC Motor and Xpeng technology, to name a few examples.
Unlike Toyota with its Lexus brand, GAC will sell its premium brand vehicles under the same name. In China, GAC has the brands Trumpchi (the name is a coincidence), Aion and Hyptec, the latter offering premium electric vehicles (EVs) including a supercar.
“We don’t want to have two different brands. If we only have one brand, we can choose the best products from different brands in China to offer to the customer. As I said, trust always comes first – we want to build trust in the short term,” Mr Liang said.
GAC Australia has confirmed it will sell vehicles from all three brands under the GAC banner, similar to GWM.
There are also over 20 models to choose from across its global product portfolio, from SUVs and people movers to sedans and a pickup truck on the horizon.
“We have already designed the platform, which we call the global platform, which can support both right-hand and left-hand drive vehicles. Besides, we have many right-hand drive markets,” Mr Liang said.
GAC’s attack on Australia follows the launch of its GAC International division in 2022; The company is now represented in more than 80 countries and recently announced market entries in Great Britain and France. It also has four factories abroad, including one in Thailand.
Other brands even sell vehicles developed by GAC. The short-lived Mitsubishi Airtrek was based on the GAC Aion V, while the Dodge Attitude sold in Mexico is a rebadged GAC Empow.
