The Understater: How GAC plans to conquer Europe with the Aion V

‘GAC Aion’ is a name that means little to most people in Europe. However, in China, the Guangzhou Automobile Group is a household name. As one of the country’s largest car manufacturers, it sells 2.5 million vehicles annually across all powertrains, with fully electric vehicles (BEVs) accounting for about one-fifth of that figure. This makes it the third-largest electric vehicle producer, following BYD and Tesla. By 2030, the company aims to sell five million vehicles each year.

Judging by the numbers, GAC is a company to take seriously—perhaps more so than some Chinese start-ups that have entered Europe with lofty goals, only to crash into the harsh reality. Founded in 1955, GAC has operated under its current name since 1997, with its electric subsidiary Aion being established in 2017. Now, this sub-brand is pushing into Europe, aiming to avoid the mistakes made by other Chinese carmakers in recent years.

At the Paris Motor Show, we had the chance to take the Aion V for a spin, a model GAC hopes will help it break into the European market.

Smooth driving

Our attempt at a quick getaway didn’t go as planned, as the angular SUV had to be moved out of the parking spot without the aid of a camera, given that most of the user interface wasn’t yet functional. On the bright side, the car starts immediately with a tap of the brake, and gear selection is easy via the steering column stalk. Acceleration is rather modest; it takes a leisurely 7.9 seconds to go from 0-100 km/h. The typical electric vehicle punch is missing, but our consumption was impressively low at just 15 kWh/100 km. For regenerative braking, you can choose from ‘off,’ ‘weak’ and ‘medium’ settings. There are also driving modes—’Comfort,’ ‘Sport,’ and ‘Energy Saver.’ In the latter mode, the car delivers a surprisingly well-tuned and pleasant one-pedal driving experience. The steering can be independently set to ‘Comfort’ or ‘Sport’ regardless of the driving mode. In ‘Sport,’ the steering stiffness and feedback are comparable to the standard setting of a typical German car. In ‘Comfort,’ the steering is very light and easy to control, but completely disconnected from the road. The suspension is also quite soft—not ideal for dynamic drivers but comfortable on bumpy French roads.

A moving living room

The car also offers a pleasant seat massage for both driver and front passenger. The rear seats can recline in several stages, and there’s a large, sturdy folding table on the rear right side. A fridge in the centre console keeps refreshments cool, and two hooks for shopping bags add convenience for a day out. It’s clear that the Aion V is not for those who drive for the sheer joy of it. Instead, it’s a means of transportation designed to get passengers from A to B as comfortably as possible. Once you reach your destination, you might not even need a hotel, as the front seats and rear bench can be turned into a massive bed with the help of an inflatable mattress.

Infotainment black box

Unfortunately, there’s little to say about the software, as it wasn’t fully functional during our short test drive. The system has yet to be adapted for Europe. While an English translation is available, it can only handle basic vehicle settings at the moment. Over-the-air (OTA) updates and an app store seem to be in the works. Other features we couldn’t test include driver assistance systems and bidirectional charging.

Costly tariffs

GAC representatives have yet to provide specific details about the price of the Aion V, for several reasons. The car won’t hit the German market for over a year, dealers still need to be found, and looming over everything is the threat of high tariffs—35.3% for GAC, which is the maximum rate. Along with the existing 10% import duty, this results in a total tariff burden of 45.3%. Based on Chinese pricing, we can estimate a potential price for Europe. If we add these tariffs to the base model’s Chinese price of 130,000 RMB, we get a minimum price of around €25,000 for Europe, not including VAT. In China, no VAT is charged on electric cars under 300,000 RMB. With European VAT (which averages 21.6% in the EU), it’s unlikely the Aion V will cost less than €30,000. GAC has only hinted at a price “under €40,000,” so the final price of the base model will likely fall somewhere between these two figures.

Aside from this, GAC hasn’t shared many concrete numbers. Apart from the battery capacity (75.3 kWh in our version, with 62 kWh and 90 kWh options available in China) and the dimensions (4,605 mm long, 1,854 mm wide, and 1,686 mm high), hard facts are scarce. There’s no official charging power figure in kW or a charging curve, only the claim that the car can “recharge up to 330 kilometres in 15 minutes.”

Cautious start in Europe

At first glance, the Aion V doesn’t stand out much. It drives solidly, passengers sit comfortably, and the car is well-equipped—whether it’s the massage seats, ambient lighting, full leather interior, or even the fridge. There’s plenty of space in the back seat and the boot—though, unfortunately, there’s no front trunk (frunk). All in all, it’s good but not remarkable. BYD or MG offer similar features, and their prices are in the same range. So, how does GAC differentiate itself? Through quality and durability, according to the GAC representatives. During press talks, they often point to the company’s long-standing collaboration with Toyota and Honda, suggesting that Japanese expertise has greatly influenced their vehicles. GAC also plans to focus more on after-sales service and residual values, learning from the mistakes of other Chinese competitors.

For now, GAC is keeping expectations for the Aion V modest. While the company eventually plans to bring at least four models to Europe and dreams of local production, it has set a cautious target of 5,000 sales for the entire continent in the first year. The goal is to build infrastructure and understand the market. Serious sales volumes won’t be seen until 2026.

It’s certainly a strategy worth trying, as history has shown that latecomers can sometimes sweep the market. While some Chinese OEMs have already earned a negative reputation with dealers and customers, GAC is starting with a clean slate. And with the Aion V, they have a solid debut model on hand.