On October 31, a small hatchback from the GAC EV brand Aion was exposed on the Internet. Codenamed AY2, the car will be the second model designed as a global model following the second-generation Aion V launched earlier this year.
The model is expected to debut at the Guangzhou Auto Show in November and will most likely go on sale in Europe in 2025. Judging from the pictures, they appear to be ones likely destined for use in the required Ministry of Industry and Information Technology listing (MIIT).
The new car’s front lights are quite distinctive, almost looking like eyelids. Underneath these are further light sources arranged in a pattern that looks like the Chinese character tian (田), which means paddy field. Below the fender is an air inlet.
The charging port is on the right wing of the car, and the AY2 features semi-concealed door handles, which are a good trade-off between aerodynamics and cost. The pictures show the car with at least two different styles of alloys, and these both look quite playful.
At the back, the roofline ends with a spoiler, and the tail lights again use the Tian character—which could possibly offer a clue to the car’s name.
Little else is known about the car although it is expected to compete around the 100,000 yuan (14,050 USD) level and go up against cars such as the BYD Dolphin, Wuling Bingo, and the Volkswagen ID.3.
The AY2 may ride on the same AEP pure electric digital platform as used by the second-generation Aion V. This is a 400V platform, but it applies silicon carbide for the first time, and in the case of the V using a lithium iron phosphate battery, it has 3C fast charging.
Plans call for the production and sales of 1 million Aion cars in 2025. The new car will help GAC work toward the target. Earlier this year Aion opened a factory in Thailand and it has another under construction in Indonesia. Until recently, the brand only sold in China but has recently started an aggressive export push. The brand is the third largest EV producer in the world after Tesla and BYD.
Source: Fast Technology
