As 2026 begins, Chinese automotive brands have entered a new phase of global competition. Amid lingering global market uncertainties, GAC takes the lead with an "impressive start" performance: in January this year, its overseas wholesale sales surged 69% year-on-year, continuing the robust growth momentum of the past two years and laying a solid foundation for the 2026 overseas sales target of "300,000 units".
GAC INTERNATIONAL Posts Strong January Overseas Sales
In the opening year of the "15th Five-Year Plan", this remarkable start marks another step in GAC’s continuous efforts to strengthen its global systemization capabilities，and also a powerful opening for the all-out drive towards its 2026 annual sales target of securing 250,000 units and striving for 300,000 units.
GAC INTERNATIONAL officially unveiled its annual sales target of securing 250,000 units and striving for 300,000 units at its 2025 Annual Work Conference and 2026 Mobilization Meeting
01 With robust growth at the start of the year, GAC’s overseas markets are blossoming across multiple regions, painting a dynamic picture of global expansion
Looking back at the past two years, GAC's overseas business has achieved remarkable "leapfrog" growth, with overseas sales surging from 45,000 units in 2023 to over 130,000 units last year, nearly tripling. Entering 2026, GAC continues to build on this strong momentum: overseas sales jumped 69% year-on-year in January. Among them, the AION V set a new monthly retail sales record since its overseas launch. As one of the few pure electric SUVs from Chinese brands to hold dual five-star safety ratings from Euro NCAP and ANCAP, the AION V meets world-class safety standards, penetrating high-threshold markets such as Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and continuously strengthening GAC's reputation for quality and safety in the global new energy sector.
AION V has earned the E-NCAP 5-star safety rating
Regional Market Highlighs: Flourishing Across the Globe
Southeast Asia: GAC ranks among the top three Chinese brands in Cambodia in terms of sales. In Thailand, it has continuously enhanced GAC's international influence and brand awareness through initiatives such as the GAC Thailand-exclusive Golf Series Challenge and deep cooperation with FIBA. In Hong Kong, the AION V was awarded "No.1 Premium Electric SUV" and the HYPTEC HT won "No.1 Stylish Electric SUV" in January, with their product strength and brand positioning highly recognized by the local market.
GAC Wins Two Awards in Hong Kong in 2025
Oceania: In Australia, a market newly entered last year, GAC's first global strategic model, the AION V, was shortlisted as one of the top four models in the segment of "Car of the Year 2026" announced by Drive, the Australia's authoritative automotive media outlet. It is the most affordable, latest-launched model and the only one positioned as a "cost-effective family pure electric SUV" in the award. On January 15, the GAC brand was officially launched in Auckland, with three new models hitting the market simultaneously, marking GAC's formal entry into New Zealand.
AION V Shortlisted for Top 4 in Drive's Segment "Car of the Year 2026" (Australia's Authoritative Automotive Media)
GAC has officially launched its presence in Auckland, New Zealand
Europe: Poland continues to expand its localized dealership networks, with 8 stores now in place to provide convenient car purchase and after-sales support for local users. In Greece, retail sales in January surged 233% month-on-month compared with December, as brand recognition steadily rises with market performance. The AION V outperforms the average level of Chinese brands in UK insurance ratings, offering European users more confident safety guarantees and mobility choices.
Middle East: The largest GAC showroom in the UAE opened in Deira, Dubai, further enhancing sales and service experiences. The GAC GS8 ranked third among Chinese brands in terms of sales of large SUVs in Kuwait, verifying its product competitiveness in the segment.
Africa: Sixt, a leading car rental platform in Libya, entered into a strategic cooperation with local distributors to officially introduce GAC's flagship product, the M8 Master, creating a new option for business travel in Libya through this powerful collaboration. In Ivory Coast, GAC actively cooperates with local distributors, the Women in Logistics – Africa (WILA) and local medical insurance company MAPHAR, continuously practicing the overseas philosophy of "in local, for local".
GAC Distributor Cooperates with Ivory Coast's WILA (Women in Logistics – Africa) to Conduct Road Safety Education for Over 50 Children
Americas: GAC has fully entered 12 sovereign countries in South America, becoming the Chinese automotive brand with the widest footprint in the Western Hemisphere. In the Dutch Caribbean market of Panama, GAC ranks first among Chinese brands in sales. In Colombia, it retains its position among the top three in overall EV sales, with its regional influence continuing to expand. At the selection of the TOP 26 AUTO SHOW held in Mexico, GAC's AION UT, GAC GS4 MAX and GAC EMZOOM each claimed a prestigious heavyweight annual award with their exceptional core strength.
02 Accelerated Product Layout and Steady Progress in Global Ecosystem Construction
Behind the strong sales growth lies the continuous launch of high-quality products and solid construction of systematic capabilities. As the first state-owned enterprise to expand overseas with an integrated energy ecosystem, guided by the One GAC 2.0 strategy, GAC is accelerating product upgrades, deepening local construction, and adhering to the principle of "in local, for local, integrating into local, serving local, contributing to local" to drive sales growth.
Product Layout： The GAC S7 and AION i60, which were launched in China in 2025, are set to make their overseas debut soon, accelerating the product rhythm. These two popular models, highly recognized in the domestic market, are expected to become "growth drivers" for GAC's overseas product matrix. The GAC S7, positioned as an intelligent large five-seat SUV, combines advanced full-scenario intelligent driving, premium handling and a luxurious smart cockpit, balancing intelligent experience with reliability for family long-distance travel. Amid rising global demands for intelligence, safety and product durability, the model's comprehensive capabilities offer strong cross-market adaptability. The AION i60 targets the mainstream family market as an "affordable large five-seat SUV", featuring high-efficiency Star Source EREV technology, spacious design and all-round protection systems to meet diverse travel needs of overseas users – whether for green urban commuting or long-distance trips with varying charging conditions, it achieves a balance between economy, convenience and practicality.
Grand Scene of S7 Santa Cruz Tasting Event
"People's Necessity Large Five-Seat SUV" AION i60
System Construction： The "Thousand-Network Plan" continues to advance, with 20 new overseas outlets added in January, bringing the total global network to 650, covering 86 countries and regions across 5 major regions: Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, Europe, CIS and Central and South America, providing sufficient network support for future sales growth. The layout of 9 major parts warehouses in Dubai, Panama, Rotterdam (Netherlands), Russia, Thailand, Mexico, Brazil, Australia and the Philippines has been fully completed, supporting rapid parts response services in key global markets. 5 overseas production bases in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Nigeria and Austria have been completed and put into operation. The AION UT project has reached a key milestone with the successful roll-off of the first prototype from Magna's factory in Austria. Localization production projects in Cambodia, Brazil and Egypt are also in progress. Energy ecosystem layout represented by Thailand's "Hundred Cities, Thousand Charging Piles" continues to take shape, marking new breakthroughs in the expansion of Southeast Asia's new energy mobility market.
First AION UT Prototype Rolls Off the Line at Magna's Factory
Standing at the new starting point of 2026, GAC's "strong opening performance" in overseas business reflects the in-depth transformation of Chinese automotive brands from "product export" to "global operation". Through localized cultivation and the construction of a full industrial chain ecosystem, GAC is leveraging its robust global systematic capabilities to address challenges brought by overseas market fluctuations. In the future, with continuously enhanced product competitiveness and an increasingly improved global system, GAC is poised to unlock stronger growth potential and carve out a new path for high-quality development in international competition.