GAC GroupPrefer Sterling in Google
Add sterlingcharts.com as a preferred source so our charts can appear with a preferred badge in Google Top Stories, AI Mode, and AI Overviews.
Register for a premium account to gain access to Sterling AI.
Get StartedThings you can ask Sterling:
| Period | Milestone | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | WeRide and GAC begin vehicle cooperation | WeRide 2021 announcement: cooperation since 2018, including an early Guangzhou robotaxi trial. TechNode: early retrofits included Trumpchi GE3. No GAC-specific fleet count is printed. |
| 2021-11 | GAC, WeRide, and ONTIME robotaxi commercialization pact | Joint announcement: robotaxi based on GAC AION S with WeRide Sensor Suite 4.0, integrated into ONTIME for testing, with a plan to develop a purpose-built L4 vehicle. Current AION S unit described as a retrofit. No fleet count printed in the announcement. |
| 2024-10 | WeRide NASDAQ IPO (WRD); GAC Capital is a concurrent investor | WeRide Form 424B4: concurrent private placement includes US$20 million from Guangqizhixing Holdings Limited and Gac Capital International Ltd. The prospectus does not name AION as a primary robotaxi vehicle-platform partner and does not print a GAC-supplied fleet. |
| 2026-04-16 | AION N60 pre-sales; first jointly developed mass-produced passenger vehicle | WeRide IR and 6-K: first mass-produced passenger vehicle jointly developed by WeRide and GAC AION, and first mass-production WRD 3.0 on Qualcomm Snapdragon. WeRide describes N60 as an ADAS product. No GAC robotaxi trip count or N60 fleet size is printed. |
| Period | Self-developed overseas | Group overseas |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 55,000 | 75,800 |
| 2024 | 106,000 | 127,000 |
| 2025 | 125,000 |
| Period | Production | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2,528,822 | 2,504,975 |
| 2024 | 1,916,615 | 2,003,058 |
| 2025 | 1,744,429 | 1,721,489 |
GAC New Energy (later Aion) established as a NEV-focused subsidiary of GAC Group: spun out from parent state-owned automaker GAC to compete with NIO/XPeng in mass-market and ride-hail EV segments.
Aion S sedan unveiled at Auto Guangzhou as the brand's first model: designed as an affordable BEV sedan optimized for Chinese taxi and ride-hail fleet adoption.
Smart Eco-Plant in Guangzhou completes; RMB 2.13B ($310M) investment for dedicated NEV manufacturing: GAC's most modern plant and a structural commitment to Aion as a serious EV business.
Aion S enters mass production: becomes a top-selling sedan in China's EV taxi/ride-hail market, particularly with Didi Chuxing as the largest fleet customer.
Aion Y launches as a compact electric SUV with sponge silicon battery technology: broadening the Aion lineup beyond sedan-only and adding GAC's proprietary cell tech as a marketing differentiator.
Launches premium Hyper (Haopin) sub-brand with the Hyper SSR supercar concept featuring 1,225 hp: Aion's bid to push above the mass-market positioning that defined Aion's first 5 years.
Aion crosses 1 million cumulative deliveries: fastest of any Chinese EV brand at the time, faster than NIO/XPeng/Li Auto trio, demonstrating fleet-driven volume strategy works.
Hyper SSR begins production: China's first 'gigacar' (sub-2-second 0-100 km/h) BEV; the model sells modest volumes but cements Aion's tech credibility above the mass-market base.
Begins official sales in Thailand and broader Southeast Asia: marking Aion's first full export markets and execution of GAC's RHD-focused ASEAN strategy.
Aion suffers ~21% YoY sales decline as Didi ride-hail demand cools and Chinese consumers shift toward BYD/Geely/Xiaomi: first major slowdown since founding.
Indonesia plant opens with 50,000-unit annual capacity for SE Asian market production: Aion's first overseas factory and a hedge against China-export tariff escalation.
GAC announces Hyper-brand consolidation under restructured Aion business: combining Aion's mass-market and Hyper's premium portfolios for cost rationalization amid China EV price war.