Aion EV brand to launch in Australia in 2025
Toyota Corolla-size hatchback to lead the charge for GAC Motor’s all-electric Aion brand Down UnderAnother EV brand has officially confirmed its Australian market launch – this time Aion, an all-electric brand owned by Chinese auto giant Guangzhou Automobile Group Motor, or GAC Motor for short.
The EV-only brand will launch in Australia in April 2025 and we understand its opening salvo here will be a small electric hatchback roughly the same size as a Toyota Corolla or Hyundai i30.
Details of the vehicle are still top-secret and we’ve taken a stab in the dark with this AI render, but the second-generation Aion V small SUV is expected to join the unnamed compact hatch on sale Down Under six months later.
As we’ve previously reported, GAC Motor’s supercar sub-brand – Aion Hyper – hasn’t ruled out bringing its Ferrari-slaying SSR supercar to Australia via its soon-to-be-complete right-hand drive manufacturing facility in Thailand, which is also GAC’s first factory outside China.
It was initially reported that Aion would import vehicles via established local distributor Ateco, but Aion Australia has since told carsales this is not the case.
“AGA Auto, trading as Aion Australia and part of the AGA Group, is the authorized distributor of GAC and its affiliate brands for the Australian region,” said Aion Australia chief operating officer, Charles Lau.
He wouldn’t be drawn on precise timing for the brand’s Aussie arrival, but stated that “2025 is our target for the launch of our first model in the Australia market.”
It’s not yet clear whether Aion cars will be sold through traditional bricks-and-mortar dealerships or via a hybrid/online sales model that leverages bespoke showrooms like Tesla, Australia’s top-selling EV brand by a country mile with over 46,000 sales from just two models last year – more than double its 2022 sales.
Globally, Tesla sold more EVs than any other brand in 2023, but it was closely followed by BYD (also the second most popular EV brand in Australia) and GAC Motor, which posted the third highest number of EV sales worldwide last year.
Lau indicated that GAC Motor is seeking to invest heavily in building a presence in Australia and plans to eventually offer a full model range of vehicles.
“Aion’s parent company GAC signalled it was focussed on expanding in the region,” he explained, adding that the goal is to provide “an entire product line-up to suit the Australian market needs.”
The importer refused to rule out sports cars and utes being added to its portfolio in the future, Aion Australia’s COO telling carsales that “nothing is off the table”.
The Aion brand will be a direct competitor for the likes of BYD and Tesla in Australia and while it’s not clear how the first few products to come here will be positioned relative to their competitors, Lau stated that Aion EVs will “…most certainly be priced competitively in the Australian market”.
Currently Aion lists six vehicles on its official Chinese website (Aion S, Aion S Plus, Aion LX Plus, Aion V Plus, Aion Y Plus), including the just-released second-generation Aion V that has been earmarked for Australia.
Stay tuned for more.
Related: Rock-crushing Mengshi M-Hero 4x4 mooted for Oz
Related: Ferrari-slaying Aion Hyper SSR firms for Oz
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