In comparison to privately-owned automakers such as Geely, Chery, and BYD, numerous long-standing state-owned enterprises in the automotive industry have encountered challenges akin to those faced by joint-venture brands in recent times. Constrained by the impact of new energy and intelligent technologies, their transition processes have been sluggish, resulting in their current passive state. Nowadays, these seasoned state-owned enterprises are initiating proactive self-rescue measures.

On November 16, GAC Group announced that Feng Xingya would step down from his concurrent role as the company's general manager, although he would retain his positions as chairman and director of the board's strategic committee. The board has approved the appointment of Ge Xianqing as general manager, Wang Dan as chief accountant (financial officer), and Gao Rui, Jiang Xiuyun, Zheng Heng, Huang Yongqiang, and Chen Jiacai as deputy general managers.

This appointment system underscores GAC Group's dedication to market-oriented reforms.

Indeed, GAC has been embracing a professional manager system since 2018, selecting management teams through market-oriented processes. The new professional manager team's responsibilities encompass the entire core business chain, including product management, R&D technology, manufacturing and supply, brand marketing, internationalization, strategic development, and human resources.

Under this appointment system, GAC Group has already implemented significant personnel changes this year.

On February 14, GAC Group's Hyper brand unveiled its latest personnel structure, with Ma Haiyang appointed as CEO of GAC Hyper. In March, Gu Huinan, the former general manager of GAC Aion, retired upon reaching the retirement age. On September 16, Xiao Yong, deputy general manager of GAC Aion and head of its marketing division, resigned from his position, and Yang Long, the former head of GAC Mitsubishi, assumed his responsibilities.

GAC Desperately Needs Battle-Ready Warriors

During the era of joint ventures, GAC Group thrived on the profit engines of GAC Toyota and GAC Honda. Now that joint ventures are experiencing a downturn, GAC must establish its own brands with greater vigor.

According to the latest financial report data, GAC is currently under pressure from declining sales and performance losses.

Based on the official production and sales bulletin, GAC Group's automobile sales in October reached 170,731 units, marking an 8.10% year-on-year decrease; cumulative sales for the year stood at 1,354,384 units, down 10.94% year-on-year.

In terms of performance, GAC's revenue for the third quarter of 2025 was 24.106 billion yuan, a 14.62% year-on-year decrease; net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company was a loss of 1.774 billion yuan; basic earnings per share were -0.17 yuan. For the first three quarters, revenue was 66.272 billion yuan, a 10.49% year-on-year decrease; net profit attributable to shareholders was a loss of 4.312 billion yuan; basic earnings per share were -0.42 yuan.

Facing formidable privately-owned brands like Geely and BYD, GAC Group's own brands, such as Trumpchi and Aion, have had their moments of glory but are now struggling in a fiercely competitive market. Both brand strength and visibility are weaknesses for their products. They failed to capitalize on the opportunity to rapidly capture the market during the years of explosive growth for privately-owned brands. Hence, GAC Group needs to catch up swiftly. The current transformation in the leadership decision-making layer marks the beginning of rapidly adapting to the market. GAC needs warriors, and more importantly, warriors who can emerge victorious.

According to GAC Group's announcement, Ge Xianqing, born in December 1973 with a bachelor's degree, currently serves as the general manager and executive committee member of the company. He also holds the positions of chairman of GAC Toyota Motor Co., Ltd., GAC Trumpchi Automobile Co., Ltd., GAC Aion New Energy Vehicle Co., Ltd., Huawei Automotive Technology (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd., deputy chairman of GAC Toyota Engine Co., Ltd., and director of GAC International Automobile Sales and Service Co., Ltd.

Previously, he served as deputy general manager of GAC, head of the Strategic Development Department, chairman and general manager of GAC Business Co., Ltd., deputy general manager and head of the Sales Department of GAC Honda Automobile Co., Ltd., and director of Wuyang-Honda Motor (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd.

From his resume, Ge Xianqing is a seasoned veteran of GAC Group, possessing a profound understanding of its internal dynamics. His experience at GAC Honda also equips him with richer market insights. With an in-depth comprehension of both the group and the market, he is better positioned to steer GAC Group back on course.

Stabilizing Joint Ventures and Pursuing Overseas Expansion

As a long-established state-owned enterprise, GAC Group boasts numerous brands, implying that revitalizing the group presents a significant challenge.

Currently, although joint ventures are in a weaker position, they must keep pace with the times. Nowadays, General Motors and Volkswagen are steadily making a comeback. GAC's joint-venture brands also need to find such a rhythm while simultaneously supporting the rise of their own brands and seeking new growth avenues in overseas markets.

The new general manager, Ge Xianqing, also serves as chairman of GAC Trumpchi and GAC Aion. This arrangement facilitates the integration of resources for their own brands and resolves potential fragmentation issues among the three major brands (Trumpchi, Aion, Hyper). His cross-domain experience is expected to allocate resources more efficiently and foster differentiated development among the three brands.

Simultaneously, Ge Xianqing's experience in joint-venture operations can also invigorate joint-venture activities and stabilize performance. Currently, joint-venture brands rely more on localization to bridge gaps in new energy and intelligent technologies. Therefore, after the new leadership assumes office, the group also needs to sustain the steady growth of joint-venture brands.

Notably, most of the new leadership team hails from within GAC Group, with only Chen Jiacai being an externally recruited talent.

Chen Jiacai previously served as the rotating president of the Overseas BU and a member of the EMT at Seres Automotive Group, general manager of Chery Automobile's Jetour International Company, general manager of Chery Commercial Vehicle's International Company, and head of the management department at Chery Automobile Henan Co., Ltd. With extensive practical experience in automobile overseas expansion, he will oversee GAC Group's overseas business.

Currently, the domestic market environment is highly competitive, and large-scale volume growth is largely unattainable. Seeking new growth avenues in overseas markets has become a strategic choice for many privately-owned brands. For instance, leading privately-owned brands like Great Wall, BYD, and Geely are investing in Brazil to tap into new markets. This is also a necessity for GAC Group. Introducing Chen Jiacai, with his vast overseas experience, marks a fresh beginning for GAC's overseas expansion.

In November 2024, GAC Group launched the three-year 'Panyu Initiative' to transition its own brands from a strategic control model to a more effective operational control model. During this transformation process, GAC reshaped its processes, restructured its organization, and activated talent momentum by enhancing the talent cultivation system and optimizing incentive mechanisms.

The reorganization of the professional manager team represents a significant achievement of the talent mechanism reform under the 'Panyu Initiative.' It also breaks certain inertias of traditional state-owned enterprises, invigorates organizational vitality, and ensures team combat effectiveness and business orientation. From a team perspective, the new leadership is indeed more aligned with the current needs of GAC Group. However, to swiftly bridge the gap with leading privately-owned brands, actions will indeed speak louder than words.