GAC targets top 10 in Australia

Freshly-arrived Chinese auto giant GAC says it will be a top 10 player in Australia as soon as 2028 with up to 60,000 sales per annum, dozens of dealers and a new model onslaught to take on BYD and GWM.

GAC International Australia CEO Kevin Shu outlined the company’s local sales ambition at the launch of the Aion UT compact electric SUV earlier this week.

The UT is the fourth GAC model to go on-sale in Australia following the Aion V EV, Emzoom petrol SUV and M8 PHEV people-mover it launched with late last year.

The UT is the only new addition GAC plans in 2026.

However, it will add three more models in 2027 including an electrified ute or pick-up truck that will be a cornerstone of its sales growth.

In a nutshell, Shu proposes that GAC will reach the Australian sales top 10 after as little as three years and no more than five years.

GAC is hugely bullish about its expansion plans in Australia and other export markets primarily because it has already been building Toyota and Honda cars in China for some time.

“GAC has re-engineered Honda and Toyota into their own cars,” a GAC spokesperson previously told carsales.

“They just don’t have the inherent or legacy problem that new or emerging brands have had coming into Australia.

“It’s like we’ve created another Toyota,” said the GAC spokesperson.

The three-ish years GAC plans to become a top 10 player Down Under is a bit slower (and arguably more realistic) than his GAC International boss Wei Heigang proposed last year.

As of 2025, top 10 equates to at least 40,000 sales, but Shu says GAC is thinking bigger, which suggests the goal is more like top five-to-seven.

The stellar sales performances of Chinese rivals BYD and GWM has clearly had an impact at GAC, as Shu name-checked both.

“If you have to be in the top 10, you have to have more than 50,000 units. That's the minimum,” Shu told carsales.

“For BYD, it's about 52,000 [sales in 2025]. For GWM, it's 52,000 also. So I think we'll end up in the top 10 within five years if we have to have more than 50,000 or 60,000 units.”

Separately, in a presentation to assembled media, Shu had already stated GAC’s aim to reach the Australian top 10 sooner than five years: “Maybe one year or two years earlier to achieve this target,” he said.

GAC also plans to grow from its current metro-focussed 19 dealer network to more than 100 showrooms within five years. This would include strong regional coverage.

It is intended that all dealers will also be service locations.

As mentioned, GAC plans to expand its range to more than 10 models in five years with the objective to have new car products in all major vehicle segments of the market.

Asked if the eventual goal was to become the number one new vehicle seller in Australia, knocking off Toyota, Shu was more cautious in his projections.

“We want to build up the high value of the customer side,” Shu said of GAC’s Aussie ambitions.

Toyota is GAC’s partner in a joint-venture in China. It also partners with Honda.

“So you can find each model, our price is reasonable and competitive for this segment.

“So we want to put up the high value and a stable price for this market to protect our customers, protect our dealership, profit, and customer view.

“So that's why GAC wants to put up the high value brand in this market for our technology, experience, service, and to survive this market.”

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