GAC’s short-range EV promises big value
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The new GAC Aion UT short-range variant will join the established GAC Aion UT long-range variants providing consumers what is likely to be another sub-$30,000 battery-electric alternative.
Short-range Aion UT details
The new variant features a 44kWh battery that provides a driving range of up to 320km (WLTP), and a single electric motor driving the front wheels.Motor outputs have not yet been released for the new model but overseas variants deliver outputs of 100kW/145Nm.
This compares with the current Aion UT long-range lineup which comprises two variants, both with a 60kWh battery, outputs of 150kW/210Nm and a maximum driving range of 430km from their 61.1kWh battery.
Pricing yet to be confirmed
Pricing and specification details have also not yet been released but the current Aion UT long-range battery electric hatchback starts from $31,990 (MRLP), suggesting GAC will likely look to land the short-range variant somewhere in the high $20,000 range.
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Competition heating up in the affordable EV segment
The news provides another boost to Australia’s once-languishing compact hatchback segment which has been the unexpected beneficiary of the price war raging between Chinese EV makers.Other contenders for the title of Australia’s least expensive EV include the BYD Atto 1 Essential ($23,990) and recently launched Geely EX2 Complete ($26,490). Both these variants offer less range – 220km and 252km respectively than GAC’s new offering – although they both also have larger battery variants available at a higher price.
GAC’s growing presence in Australia
Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) launched in Australia in November 2025 with the Emzoom internal-combustion (ICE) powered small-SUV, Aion V all-electric medium SUV, and the M8 seven-seat people mover plug-in hybrid (PHEV), before adding the Aion UT compact electric hatch in April of this year.The company has managed just 1,008 sales so far this year with its best-selling model being the Emzoom small-SUV.
While still a relatively small player here and unknown to many Australian consumers, GAC is well established in its Chinese domestic market, where it started building commercial vehicles in the late 1990s in partnership with Toyota and Honda, before branching out into its own passenger cars in 2010.
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