Chinese brand’s huge claim: Why GAC says Toyota is its secret weapon in Australia
New Chinese brand GAC says it is the Toyota of China, suggesting it has taken everything it has learned from the Japanese giant to give it a competitive edge as it launches in the crowded Australian market.
GAC has been a production partner of both Honda and Toyota in China, and the brand’s International President, Wei Haigang, says it now offers a Toyota-like experience in terms of “the products, the quality, and how our team is working.”
Toyota and GAC, officially Guangzhou Automobile Group, joined forces in 2004. Since then they have produced a range of Toyota-badged models for the Chinese market, including the Toyota bZ3X, a cut-price city EV that reportedly drew more than 10,000 orders in its first hour on sale.
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And it is that partnership that GAC says gives it the edge over the wave of new Chinese brands arriving in Australia, with Haigang insisting the company’s own products now match those of its joint-venture partner.
“We have cooperated with Toyota and Honda for more than 20 years, and we have learned a lot from those Japanese companies,” he says.
“A lot of people think that we are very similar to them. Currently we have entered into 85 countries, and in some countries, our partners think that we are like Toyota in terms of the products, the quality, and how our team is working.
“We believe that is because we have learned some very good things from Toyota. The first one is that we have learned from the management that it is high quality. Toyota is always in pursuit of high quality.”
GAC has now launched in Australia with a three-model portfolio; the city-sized and ICE-powered Emzoom, the electric mid-size SUV the Aion V, and the PHEV-powered people-mover called the M8.
Asked what separates GAC from other Chinese brands pushing into Australia, he again pointed to the influence of its production partners in China.
“I think the first difference is that our products are of high quality. So, number one is that our products are of high quality, and which also can match the standards of Toyota,” he says.
“And number three is that GAC is a company with a comprehensive industrial chain, from mining, building the batteries, building R&D, and building the vehicles, to the energy ecosystem.
“We have a comprehensive chain. We can also bring this chain into Australia.
“And also in terms of the high technology and the differentiated development – for example, we have taken the MPV, which is in a special segment. So, that means our products can meet the demands of different customers.”
