About the future

Should not see anything about electrification and autonomous driving, but that is not the case. GAC has recently opened a new plant to build their new energy vehicle called the GAC NE. As mentioned before, NE stands for New Energy.

In this factory, they only build hybrids and electric vehicles such as the GE3 530 fully electric crossover, plug-in hybrid GS4 and the Gion Aion fully electric sedan. There is a goal to finally bring Aion to the Middle East and we have the opportunity to drive it and learn more about it.

While it is a short trip, the first such contact, the fully electric AAC GAC will have a range of 500 kilometers at a price point of USD 33,000. From our side, and trying to speed things up, we have shared with them our Electric Vehicle report for the GCC.

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In the Middle East

There are plans to expand the range with GA3S (sedan), GS7 (SUV), GS3 (Crossover) and GM8 (Van). If you want to try it now, you choose the following options:

GA8: Full-size executive sedan produced by GAC, GA8 rises against the likes of Kia Cadenza, Hyundai Azera, Chevrolet Impala, and Renault Talisman in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Available in only one complete trim, this full option model sells for AED 102,900 in the UAE and SAR 105,060 in Saudi Arabia. Financial options start from AED 1,604 per month in the UAE and SAR 1,638 per month in Saudi Arabia.

GS8: Medium size crossover and the biggest model brand in the Middle East, GS8 was designed by former Mercedes-Benz designer Fan Zhang and charges a starting price of AED 104,900 in the UAE. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, prices are above 107,100 SAR and competitions include the Chevrolet Traverse, Mitsubishi Pajero and Kia Sorento. Installments in the UAE come as low as AED 1,635 per month, while they are SAR 1,670 in Saudi Arabia.

GS4: After first appearing in Shanghai Auto in 2015, the GS4 GAC was built on the same platform as the GA3 sedan and charged an attractive initial price of AED 70,900 in the UAE and SAR 72,390 in Saudi Arabia. Being a compact and targeted crossover for younger generation buyers, GS4 competitors include Nissan Kicks, Hyundai Creta, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and Kia Sportage. Financial options start from AED 1,105 per month in the UAE and SAR 1,130 in Saudi.

Who is behind the brand? I am in contact with UAE and Saudi distributors. During this trip, I had the opportunity to meet people from Al Jomaih Automotive who are the official GAC dealer for Saudi Arabia. People who have a proven track record in this industry are the largest GM distributors in the Middle East who sell Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac. For UAE you have another big name. GAC is under Gargash, the same distributor as Mercedes-Benz and Alfa Romeo in the UAE.

About people

Companies without the right people are like cars without engines. And although this sounds very strange, I rarely see teams that are so committed and connected. The GAC Group, their agencies and distributors are in perfect synergy to lead the rise of Chinese brands around the world.

So, overall:

These people have formulas that are good products + technology + vision towards better transportation + solid and reliable distributors. If they will succeed or not, we do not know at this stage. Learn from other brands that have been launched recently, and to make the formula stronger, they need to invest in developing and growing a brand by using the right channel to reach the right people. Meanwhile, if you are in the market for a sedan, crossover or SUV, give these people a chance because that will make a lot of sense.

Now, to close and return to the main question; how likely are you to buy a Chinese car?