Holy GAC: The ‘Chinese Toyota’ lands in Australia

GAC – the state-owned Chinese auto giant often dubbed the ‘Chinese Toyota’ – has officially arrived in Australia, launching three sharply priced family vehicles and outlining an aggressive push that includes a PHEV ute designed to challenge the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger.

One of China’s biggest car-makers, Guangzhou Automobile Group Company (GAC), has entered Australia with serious intent.

The state-owned giant sold more than two million vehicles in 2024 and has become a manufacturing bedrock for major Japanese brands operating in China.

It builds vehicles for Toyota and Honda but also supplies Hino with commercial-vehicle collaboration and maintains a joint venture with Mitsubishi. The question is, are GAC vehicles better than Toyota cars?

A spokesman for the GAC brand recently told us that GAC is playing to win.

“GAC has re-engineered Honda and Toyota into their own cars,” he said.

“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.”

Executives admit much of GAC’s reputation at home stems from mastering kaizen-style continuous improvement in a bid to lift its own vehicles to near-Japanese levels of consistency.

That influence is clear in its opening salvo in Australia.

The EMZOOM compact SUV starts from $25,590 plus on-road costs (ORCs) and early impressions suggest it represents reasonable value for money.

A 14.6-inch infotainment screen, digital dash, a ventilated driver’s seat and a panoramic sunroof all feature, though its budget tyres undermine an otherwise polished package.

Power comes from a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine (125kW/270Nm) and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

Above it sits the Aion V medium electric SUV, packing a 75kWh LFP battery, 510km WLTP range and 180kW DC fast charging. And after testing it, we think the GAC Aion V might do pretty well in the Australian market.

Both Premium and Luxury grades come loaded with heated, ventilated and massaging front seats, a heat pump, a powered tailgate and extensive safety technology. Pricing starts at $42,590 plus ORCs.

The M8 plug-in hybrid people-mover joins the line-up at $76,590 plus ORCs. But it’s unlikely it’ll provide much competition for the far more affordable (and segment dominant) Kia Carnival.

The brand’s ambition is immense. GAC International president Wei Haigang says the company will “strive” to become a top-10 brand in Australia by 2027, backed by a rollout of up to 90 dealers and several new models.

Central to that push is a plug-in hybrid ute developed specifically for Australian towing and performance requirements – a direct shot at the HiLux and Ranger.

How much do GAC vehicles cost?

EMZOOM – from $25,590 plus ORCs
Aion V – from $42,590 plus ORCs
M8 PHEV – from $76,590 plus ORCs

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