All-new GAC Aion V and M8 arrive in New Zealand

Guangzhou Automobile Group Co, or GAC as it goes by, is displaying two of its all-new vehicles at an exclusive Auckland pop-up event. 

On display in the Botany Town Centre are the Aion V and M8 PHEV SUV. The GS3 Emzoom SUV is the other vehicle that GAC is planning to launch in New Zealand with, but this is not on display. 

With a 75KWh LFP battery the Aion V is likely to become the brand’s flagship vehicle in New Zealand. 

Its maximum range sits at 510km (WLTP), can charge at up to 180kW, and will take 22 minutes to be charged from 10 to 80 per cent.

A 150kW/210Nm motor sits on the front axle, and can send it to 100km/h in 7.9-seconds. 

The interior of this Aion V is both lavish and spacious. It gets a 14.6-inch infotainment screen with Apple Carplay, an 8.8-inch digital driver’s display, and wireless phone charging.

There’s also a freezer in the centre console for those ice cream deliveries on hot summer days. 

The M8 is the other vehicle on display at the pop-up, with looks to be an incredibly luxurious plug-in hybrid MPV. 

Power primarily comes from a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, and with hybrid assistance it makes 274kW and 630Nm. 

The interior is just as impressionable as the exterior, with lavish trimmings in every direction. 

Despite the ‘8’ in its name, it only has space for seven passengers, but this isn’t a bad thing, considering the large captain seats in the second row. 

These seats are heated, ventilated and have a massaging function, and provide a business class-like passenger experience.

These vehicles will be on display in Botany until Sunday 5PM, where the public can get up close and personal with them. 

Pricing and specifications are yet to be revealed for these new GAC vehicles, but it’s likely that this information will be made public in the next few weeks, ahead of the cars going on sale in January 2026.