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Chinese automotive giant GAC has officially launched the Aion UT, an uber-cheap electric hatchback positioned for the global market.
Priced at just US$9600 (A$15,466) in China, the brand’s incoming model is shaping up as a strong chance for Australia as its electric sub-brand gears for a local launch next quarter with the Aion V SUV.
As per CarNewsChina, the Aion UT will debut in China with five trims and four battery pack options, offering ranges of between 330km and 420km under the lenient CLTC cycle.
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Curiously, the battery capacities are said to be 34.8kWh, 44.12kWh, 44.13kWh and a range-leading 44.25kWh.
Just one electric motor option is available – a 100kW front-axle-mounted unit.
WLTC energy consumption is claimed at 11.4kWh/100km, significantly less than the BYD Dolphin (15.2kWh/100km), MG4 (13kWh/100km) and GWM Ora (16.5kWh/100km) with which it rivals.
In terms of dimensions, the Aion UT is quoted at 4270mm long, 1850mm wide, 1575mm tall and with a wheelbase of 2750mm, putting it more or less on par with its aforementioned competitors.
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Two wheel sizes are quoted at 16 inches and 17 inches on the top-spec variant.
Inside, the Aion UT comes equipped with a 14.6-inch central multimedia touchscreen and an 8.8-inch LCD digital driver’s display.
Top-of-the-line trims reportedly come with advanced driver assistance capabilities, ambient lighting and a six-speaker audio system. Meanwhile, an AI voice assistant, over-the-air updates, in-car WiFi and mobile phone remote control come standard across the range.
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GAC is China’s fifth largest car manufacturer and sells vehicles under the GAC brand as well as its Aion, Trumpchi, Hyptec and Hycan sub-brands. It also has joint ventures with Toyota and Honda to produce cars in China.
The brand’s General Manager, Wei Haigang, told CarsGuide last year it had an ambitious target of selling 4000 vehicles in its first full year in Australia, following the release of its Volkswagen ID.4-rivalling Aion V SUV.
“We are going to launch our cars in quarter two, so instead of pursuing the high sales targets, first, we want to build our brand here in a very good way and to establish our service and the quality here. And then we have a very rough target, which is 4000 units,” Wei told CarsGuide.
@carsguide.com.au The GAC car brand is set to launch in Australia with the Aion V #GAC #AionV #car #carsguide #reels #fyp ♬ original sound - CarsGuide.com.au
“After that, we want to achieve better and better performance with the launching of new models here.”
In addition to the UT, that could include the plug-in hybrid, five-seat S7 SUV, as well as the luxury, six-seat Hyptec HL range extender.
More details on prospective models for the Australian market are expected following the Aion V's local launch in quarter two.
