GAC preparing Yue 7 SUV and Aion i60 crossover for South Africa

Having realigned its product range to include the Nova variant of the GS3 Emzoom this week, Guangzhou Automobile Group, better known by its abbreviation GAC, has approved a pair of new models soon to arrive in South Africa.

Shown at the Beijing Motor Show last month, both are expected to fill the gap between the most expensive Emkoo priced at R559 900 and the M8 stickered at R1 499 900.

Yue 7

Known to be under consideration for Australia, thereby confirming its availability with right-hand drive, the Yue 7 has already been touted as a possible rival for the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and Denza B5.

Adhering to the Defender-esque boxy exterior design, the Yue 7, as with most GAC products in China, is marketed under the Trumpchi brand as the GAC Trumpchi Yue 7.

Based, though, on a unibody platform called Thunder 3.0 instead of a ladder-frame employed by the Prado and B5, the Yue 7 provides seating for five only and has the following dimensions:

• Length: 5 045 mm;
• Wheelbase: 2 900 mm;
• Height: 1 933 mm;
• Width: 2 030 mm

Still to go on sale in China, documents submitted to the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology show the Yue 7 as making use of a plug-in hybrid powertrain similar to the B5.

Centring around a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, the combustion engine produces 125 kW on its own, and will be paired to either a 28.3-kWh or a 45-kWh battery pack powering at least two electric motors.

Combined with a Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT), the smaller battery has a claimed all-electric range of 116 km according to China’s CLTC scale, while the bigger unit has an emissions-free driving distance of 188 km.

According to China’s autohome.cn, pricing is expected to start around 179 800 yuan, which amounts to R437 534 when directly converted and without taxes.

Aion i60

Introduced last year, the second model comes in the shape of the i60 marketed under the new energy Aion brand.

Seemingly favoured above the all-electric Y Plus to launch Aion in South Africa as a model nameplate instead of the separate brand, the i60 has both electric and range-extending electric powertrains – the latter likely to be more suited for the local market than the former.

A five-seat crossover, the i60 rides on a platform called AEP 3.0 developed with electrification in mind. As such, it has the following dimensions:

• Length: 4 685 mm;
• Wheelbase: 2 775 mm;
• Height: 1 660 mm;
• Width: 1 854 mm

Likely to rival the range-extending Leapmotor C10, the i60 follows the same principle by pairing a 74 kW normally aspirated 1.5-litre engine with a 29.1-kWh battery pack.

Driving an electric motor outputting either 150 kW or 165 kW, i60’s main propulsion comes from the electrical hardware as the petrol engine’s sole function is as a generator.

As such, it doesn’t drive the i60’s front wheels and is purely used for charging the battery.

What’s more, the i60 also supports DC charging, which allows it to be charged similarly to a conventional plug-in hybrid.

According to carnewschina.com, the entire setup develops 180 kW and results in a claimed electric-only range of 210 km based on the CLTC scale, and 1 240 km when taking the petrol engine into account.

The all-electric versions, meanwhile, have three battery pack options: 47.8-kWh, 62.2-kWh and 75.2-kWh, producing between 150 kW and 165 kW. The claimed ranges are 400 km, 530 km and 650 km, respectively.

In China, prices range from 109 800 to 135 800, which amounts to between R266 777 and R329 948 when directly converted and without taxes.

More soon

For the moment, GAC South Africa importer, Salvador Caetano Auto, has yet to confirm an official date for both the Yue 7 and Aion i60.