For China's new energy vehicles, 2024 is a rather unremarkable year, with major automakers still focused on independent R&D technology, sales, and rankings.

For GAC AION, sales have turned from growth to decline, making 2024 the toughest year. The strategic transformation and adjustment face the most severe test since its establishment.

During a media roundtable session, GAC AION General Manager Gu Huinan told everyone to have confidence in GAC AION's development, as it is now entering a new stage of growth.

As one of the few global automakers dedicated to creating electric and intelligent vehicles using dedicated pure electric platforms, GAC AION has withstood immense pressure from the start, as most mainstream new energy vehicles on the market at the time were "oil-to-electric" conversions.

From scratch, brand creation coupled with a dedicated pure electric platform meant GAC AION needed more time to achieve economies of scale. However, it achieved the feat of being the fastest to reach the milestone of 1 million new energy vehicle sales.

Nevertheless, the Chinese new energy vehicle market is now dominated by independently developed electric and intelligent vehicles. GAC AION only has two main models, the AION S and AION Y PLUS, and sluggish sales growth is a result of fierce market competition and issues with GAC AION's own development pace.

The market is flooded with a myriad of new electric vehicles, and the development of new energy vehicles has shifted from focusing on "whether there are vehicles" to "what good vehicles are available."

After a grueling effort to go public, GAC AION has finally returned to its core business of manufacturing vehicles. "Global vehicles" and "intelligent driving vehicles" have become the two main development priorities.

The first model of the AY platform, named Tyrannosaurus Rex as the successor to the AION V, is developed for the global market and has undergone a comprehensive iteration from vehicle platform, design, to intelligent driving technology.

Following the second-generation AION V, two new models, the AION RT and AION UT, targeting the entry-level market, have been unveiled and launched in quick succession.

By launching three new models in one year, GAC AION aims to compete in the fiercely competitive market with speed, aiming to make up for the lost ground in 2024, a task at which it excels.

More importantly, while introducing new models, GAC AION has identified intelligent driving as a growth point. High-level intelligent driving technology, available at a starting price of RMB 150,000 upon launch, is at the forefront of the industry.

Beyond its leading electric and intelligent technology, GAC AION aims to be the first to popularize intelligent driving vehicles efficiently, which will propel it into a new peak of development.

From pioneering the era of dedicated pure electric vehicles for new energy vehicles since its inception to now popularizing high-level intelligent driving technology, GAC AION has shifted from merely creating demand to a new stage of both creating and satisfying demand.

The upcoming release of super-extended-range electric technology, featuring both pure electric and extended-range dual powertrains in one vehicle, marks the beginning of this transformation in development philosophy.

Gu Huinan said that GAC Group is a pioneer in China's new energy vehicle industry, and even the acronym "REV" for extended-range electric vehicles was first used by GAC Group. Extended-range electric technology is not new to GAC AION.

GAC AION focuses on three key areas: pure electric, extended-range, and intelligent driving. Whether it's covering the global market with global vehicles, meeting the needs of more users and markets with extended-range electric technology, or becoming a leading player in the electric and intelligent vehicle market by popularizing intelligent driving, we have witnessed GAC AION's rejuvenation after the painful adjustments in 2024.

The future direction of global new energy vehicles remains uncertain due to the continuous iteration and development of battery technology and autonomous driving technology. It is unclear what changes the next generation of technology will bring.

However, unlike the development model of the automotive industry over the past century, the trend of empowering the emerging market of new energy vehicles with new technologies and rapid iteration will not change. For automakers, the key to success lies in one word: "speed."

Quickly upgrading vehicle platforms and technology, boldly applying emerging intra- and inter-industry technologies, promptly responding to changes in market and user demands, and decisively addressing challenges from competitors are capabilities that a mainstream automaker must possess, even being crucial for survival.

We have witnessed the fierce competition faced by GAC AION in 2024 and how it has gradually found a new development pace.

Orders for the all-new A-segment pure electric sedan, the AION RT, have exceeded 40,000 within a month of its launch. The AION UT, unveiled at the 2024 Guangzhou Auto Show, will further boost overall sales, with a monthly sales target of over 50,000 vehicles for GAC AION in the next two months.

Looking ahead to 2025 for GAC AION, the first-generation main models, the AION S and AION Y, will undergo a complete makeover, and the synchronously developed extended-range electric vehicle models will also be launched successively.

With dual powertrains of pure electric and extended range, intelligent cockpits, and high-level intelligent driving capabilities driving development, and domestic and international markets operating in parallel, GAC AION is poised for explosive growth after navigating through its darkest moment in 2024.

Unexpected difficulties and challenges are still inevitable, but we believe that GAC AION has the capabilities and speed to meet the new challenges of 2025.

Only after experiencing darkness can one appreciate the value of light. In pursuit of light, GAC AION will rise again!