Golden September peak season intensified competition in the car market, and many brands faced growth pressure, but Hyper AION BU delivered a striking performance report. Official data shows Hyper AION's September sales reached 35,494 units, a significant year-over-year increase of 21.91%. Note that this marks the seventh consecutive month of growth against the trend for Hyper AION BU. Against the backdrop of pressure on the overall car market, relying on product matrix volume instead of simple price cuts for sales, such a stable growth curve is rare in the current new energy vehicle market.

Against the backdrop of pressure on the overall market, a rush of new car launches, and intensifying industry competition, Hyper AION's September performance sheet once again caught everyone's eye: terminal sales of 35,494 units, a year-over-year growth of 21.91%, achieving seven consecutive months of growth against the trend, further validating the systemic momentum released by the BU system reform. Rather than relying on short-term price cuts to boost volume, it relies on value to penetrate the market, driven by the continuous evolution of key hero products, relay of new car models, and multi-dimensional growth in overseas markets, carving out a stable upward growth curve in the churn of the car market.

Looking back at the recent September, multiple main models continued to perform. As a phenomenon-level 'cultivation series bestseller', AION i60 reached a milestone. Less than a year after launch, cumulative users broke 100,000. In September, the 2027 model officially refreshed and launched, implementing 'listen-and-respond upgrades' effectively, with orders exceeding 20,000 units. Based on owners' real feedback, the new car completed multiple practical optimizations, such as relocating the charging port to the rear and adding a 66L front trunk, realizing the most demanded user needs. It also featured a full refresh of the 'Tech Big Three', equipping CATL batteries and Amp Battery as two flagship technologies; amorphous alloy electric drive and Huawei electric drive as two high-tech dark arts, plus introducing L4 same-source advanced intelligent driving, achieving 200,000-level product experience at a 100,000-level price. Whether for daily commuting, picking up children, or weekend family self-driving trips, large space, long range, and high safety are all maxed out. It is this sincerity of continuous iteration that lets it stand firm as the top choice for Chinese family new energy SUVs, breaking the 'new car death valley effect' where many new cars fade quickly.

AION N60, also a '60 Twin Star', continued to shine on the national intelligent driving track. After winning both preliminary and final championships in the Guiyang Intelligent Driving Competition, it won again in the Shenyang station event, breaking through in strength while competing with a crowd of 300,000–500,000 yuan level high-end intelligent driving models. As the first national intelligent driving good car for young people, users broke 20,000 less than 5 months after launch, and won the LiDAR sales champion for cumulative 5 months in the 100,000–130,000 yuan range, bringing LiDAR and L4-level same-source intelligent driving technology to mainstream price points, allowing young people to own reliable and usable advanced intelligent driving without spending a lot of money.

The 2027 AION RT relied on GAC's self-developed amorphous alloy electric drive, setting a Guinness World Record with an electricity consumption performance of 8.571kWh/100km. The core of this electric drive uses an amorphous alloy ribbon with a thickness of only 0.025mm, jointly tackled by the Dongguan Institute of Materials Science and Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and GAC Group, breaking mass production manufacturing barriers and achieving large-scale technical application first. The relevant manufacturing process was listed in the national 'Catalog of Technologies Prohibited or Restricted from Export', and won the only power system innovation technology award for the global new energy vehicle industry in 2025. Currently, this top-tier electric drive technology has been simultaneously popularized to main models like AION N60 and the 2027 i60, continuously practicing the original intention of technological inclusiveness.

Targeting young groups who pursue driving control and love self-expression, the first model in the Ray series, Ray7, also welcomed its interior premiere, launching the 'Priority Enjoyment' plan simultaneously. Users only need to deposit 299 yuan in deposit money to lock in a total of 8,999 yuan in priority enjoyment rights, and the RC Club (Ray Racing Club) was established to build an exclusive car enthusiast circle for owners who love control, and limited drift experience courses were given away. Equipped with four super points: Super Chassis, Super Three-electric, Super Intelligence, and Ultra-high Appearance, Huawei DriveONE full drive-system integration architecture, pure rear-wheel drive built with aluminum-hybrid front double wishbone + rear five-link suspension, and WeRide L4-level same-source intelligent driving are all in place. No compromise needed, one step done. Once Ray7 information was released, it garnered a lot of attention from young consumers, and will become a new growth booster for the brand in the future.

Meanwhile, the high-end market is also steadily expanding. Hyper S600, as the first sports SUV under the Hyper brand, is equipped with the only four-wheel drive dual-chamber air suspension under 200,000 yuan, stable in turns, stable over bumps, Eagle Claw System 2.0 holds steady on slippery roads, climbing long slopes even with low battery; all series come standard with LiDAR, the ADiGO GSD 3.0 intelligent driving assistance system understands Chinese roads better. Standard with over 140 items of configuration, high configuration, fierce materials, it is the 'Fully Configured Sports SUV under 200,000 yuan'. GAC Hyper adheres to the 'Smart Enjoyment Life' proposition, accompanying the backbone of the era to high-level lives with taste, technology, and self-joy.

In addition to multiple points blooming in the domestic market, the overseas market has become an important growth pole for Hyper AION. Products continue to land in Singapore, Thailand, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and market rankings remain firmly in the top tier locally; recently in the Greek market, ranked second in the pure electric sub-market in July, third in August, products of Chinese intelligent manufacturing are continuously gaining recognition from overseas consumers, forming a growth pattern of dual domestic and overseas pull.

Nowadays, the pace of new car releases is getting faster, but the development cycle for some models is getting shorter, and 'speed run cars' have sparked much discussion. For ordinary consumers, what to fear most when choosing a car is not low configuration, but unstable quality and a brand that is not long-lasting. At this time, choosing a car that has been verified by time and has solid system capabilities is more important than chasing temporary gimmicks.

Behind Hyper AION is GAC Group, with the state-owned enterprise system as the bottom line, many after-sales outlets, and stable parts supply; core three-electric systems self-developed and self-produced, and tech giants jointly build an ecosystem; reliability verified by 2 million users is indeed incomparable to ordinary car companies. In the era of churning sands, the most rational car-buying mindset is to prioritize reliable products that have been tested by time and a large number of real users.

With the National Day mini-holiday arriving, it is the golden window period for families to view and change cars, and Hyper AION models are also ready with generous National Day car-buying policies. Among them, GAC AION launched the 'Buy Good Cars at Good Times and Good Festivals, Come to AION for Ten Perfection' car-buying welfare activity, covering multiple models such as i60, N60, RT, UT, and V Home, with up to tenfold gifts, including up to 8,000 yuan trade-in subsidy; ordering during the National Day Golden Week, there are also 10,000 compulsory traffic insurance + shopping card lucky draws to give away.

From October 1st to 7th, GAC Hyper launched the 'National Day Buy Hyper Duo Good Gifts Draw Continuously' whole series car-buying welfare activity, 100% winning, giving large-amount car-buying cash vouchers or iPhone Duo, after overlapping multiple benefits, comprehensive discount up to 75,000 yuan. In addition, if you come to the store in October to test drive Hyper AION models, you can receive the 'Good Persimmons Come as Pairs' dried persimmon gift box, limited quantity.

Final Words

When the 'Golden September' sheds its past year's flashy halo, the domestic passenger car market enters a stock game stage, and most brands bear significant growth pressure. Against this background, the sustained positive growth of Hyper AION BU over several consecutive months is the long-term result of the combined effect of model matrix, technical system, and channel capabilities. The future is promising! (Text/MANGO)

Editor's Note: Two years into the Panyu Action, GAC Group has returned to the growth channel; however, Hyper has gone from "no limits" to "monthly sales in the hundreds".

The "Panyu Action" deep reform proposed by GAC Group has been implemented for nearly two years. From a superficial data perspective, it seems the group is developing in a positive direction.

According to the group's latest sales data, from January to July, GAC Group's sales exceeded 886,000 units, a slight year-on-year increase of 1.28%; new energy vehicles were 311,700 units, a year-on-year increase of 66.2%; independent brand sales exceeded 400,000 units in the first 7 months, a significant year-on-year increase of 33.31%.

But in this seemingly prosperous development, one brand quietly disappeared from sight, and that is Hyper.

In the sales bulletin, Hyper's sales were reported bundled within "Hyper AION BU 210,400 units". Externally it looks like a 62% high growth, but when broken down, Hyper's own retail sales from January to July were 5,108 units, a drop by half compared to 14,828 units in the same period of 2025. BU merger makes the report look good, but it also hides Hyper's true situation.

In GAC Group's 2026 story of independent brand growth, AION exited the hole, Trumpchi defended the position, Qijing carried the image, all written smoothly. Only Hyper is the reverse stroke in the same story, where can it go with its monthly sales hovering in the hundreds?

The "Fig Leaf" Under Consolidated Reports

GAC launched the independent brand BU reform on December 18, 2025. Hyper and AION were the first to form the "Hyper AION BU". By the end of March 2026, the channels of both brands were fully integrated. Hyper's service network joined AION's network system of over 1,000 outlets from about 200.

The direct effect of consolidated reporting is a good-looking report: From January to July 2026, "Hyper AION BU" accumulated 210,400 units, a year-on-year increase of 62.08%, and July's single month 28,807 units, a year-on-year increase of 36.37%. However, after the denominator is expanded by AION's volume-selling cars, Hyper's hundreds-level monthly sales are completely diluted.

When the outside world questioned whether Hyper should exit with dignity, Zhongche Network contacted GAC Group's PR and sales personnel respectively. The former replied: Hyper reflects GAC's technical accumulation, currently brand operations are normal, everything follows the official announcement.

While a salesperson close to GAC admitted in communication: "Now the group talks about high new energy growth externally, BU merger is the easiest way to handle. But internally KPIs are still backed separately. Hyper's inventory coefficient and terminal discounts are much uglier than AION's.

The merger of AION and Hyper is not an isolated case in the auto industry. After traditional major factories suffer setbacks in climbing up, using "merger" to hide failed brands inside the mother brand's sales is an unspoken industry practice. But sales can be merged, user mindsets cannot——when a brand needs to rely on a brother brand's endorsement to appear in financial report summaries, its own market subjectivity has already loosened.

Four Years of Failed High-End Push

Hyper debuted in September 2022 as "AION's high-end sub-brand", starting with a million-yuan SSR supercar. The slogan was "Benchmark for Chinese high-end intelligent electric vehicles", and GAC Group had high hopes for it at the time.

Time came to 2024, to tear off the AION ride-hailing label, Hyper separated and became independent; In January 2025 it was upgraded to one of the three independent brands listed alongside Trumpchi and AION. Feng Xingya promised on the HL pre-sale site "no limits on investment for the next three years".

But the development of events seemed not smooth. In 2025, Hyper retail was about 15,150 units, completing less than 20% of the early 80,000-unit target; SSR 7 units for the year, GT 802 units, main force HT 9,885 units down 31% year-on-year, HL 4,464 units. In December 2025, after being independent for 11 months, it merged back into AION BU.

Focusing on Hyper's product line also presents a sense of "split": During SSR/GT/HT era, spoke of sports performance, HL suddenly turned to "Family Luxury Flagship", A800 embraced Huawei Qunkun Intelligent Driving for Tech Business, S600 pulled the starting price down to 179,900, fully loaded configurations but high-end narrative seems somewhat unfeasible.

In one showroom, a 1.28 million supercar and an 180,000 SUV are parked simultaneously. Sales staff speak of 1.9-second 0-100 acceleration and also HarmonyOS office. Users' brand image of Hyper is naturally diluted amidst left-right swinging.

Reviewing the long river of the entire auto industry history, the essence of high-end brands is scarcity and consistency. Porsche from 911 to Cayenne revolved around "Driving Machine", Mercedes-Benz from S to A-Class only delivered "Luxury and Prestige". In four years, Hyper tried everything: supercar, family SUV, Huawei smart driving sedan, cost-effective SUV——every one was an industry hotspot at the time, but linked together it is not a strategy.

Qijing Takes the Top, Hyper Hovers

Hyper's status became increasingly awkward after the Qijing brand was launched.

Qijing is the native fusion product of GAC + Huawei Qunkun "Shared Office, Same-Frequency Decision Making". The first GT7 was launched in June 2026, globally first equipped with Qunkun ADS 5. In July, completed over 1 billion yuan strategic capital injection introducing CATL. Feng Xingya clearly stated "Qijing is placed at the group's highest priority". Resources, scripts, channel focus clearly migrated.

Thus Hyper fell into the awkwardness of relying on neither end: Downward, S600 starting price dipped to 179,900, overlapping with AION N60/i60 price range, afraid to squeeze AION base; Upward, A800 used Huawei solution but didn't sell better than same platform GAC Toyota Platinum 7, couldn't touch Qijing GT7's pure Huawei endorsement; Internally shared supply chain channels with AION, external perception still "Slightly More Expensive AION"; Externally no differentiating long board, April 2026 A800 monthly retail 59 units, SSR has been zero for many months.

Zhongche Network noticed in GAC's mid-term meeting it stated Hyper "continuously improving high-end product layout", S600 fills high-end matrix—but when a high-end brand needs to prove its existence with "Starting from 179,900", the word "high-end" itself has become a joke.

Reviewing Hyper's development in the past few years, it's not hard to find what it stepped on is actually the common dead end of traditional auto manufacturers' new energy high-end push—the foundation isn't solid, yet rushing to build the building.

It was born at AION's potential high point, but AION's label is B-end and cost-performance, C-end high-end mindset is almost blank; Trumpchi also cannot support the facade of first-tier independent high-end. Old factories that didn't even stand up in the fuel car era, expecting to change fate just by changing names in the new energy era, was itself a house of cards.

More fatal is, high-end requires scarcity and exclusivity. When Hyper became independent, it managed to complete the homework on teams and channels, but then turned to merge BU, share channels, finally the wall of separation tore down itself.

And the most confusing for users is it had no main line spanning three years from start to finish—supercar start, switched to extended range, bet on large six-seaters, hugged Huawei, price continuously dropped. Every step accurately stepped on hotspots, but also accurately crushed its own brand cognition.

Group strategy turns, brand turns around, user just remembered and was deleted, this "wanting to do everything, holding onto nothing" swinging, is its true fatal flaw.

GAC Group H1 2026 pre-loss 4.06 billion to 4.57 billion yuan, year-on-year loss expanded by more than 60%. Independent high-end push burning cash, joint venture decline, Hyper channel repeated construction sunk costs, are all background boards. In analyst Wang Ying's view, under this financial pressure, "no limits" commitment will inevitably yield to "stop bleeding first"—BU merger essence is stop loss, not upgrade.

From the current financial statement perspective, GAC Group as a whole walked out of the adjustment period in Panyu Action, new energy and exports pulled out a second curve, Qijing takes over high-end narrative, Trumpchi M8 PHEV as the 30 millionth unit deliveryed to Thailand users, group face is passable.

But Hyper's hovering is real: It neither established itself with a single clear value like Nio or Li Auto, nor was willing to be a product sequence within the main brand like Geely Galaxy; When independent didn't tear off AION shadow, after merger even the shadow belonged to AION. 2026 hundreds-level monthly sales, January-July retail halved, means it has exited "mainstream high-end brand" competition, remaining is whether group wants to give another round of resources, what name to close the problem.

Two years of Panyu Action, GAC Group has returned to growth channel; while Hyper went from "no limits" to "monthly sales in hundreds". Same group, same round of reform, upward and downward can happen simultaneously—only the downward stroke might be destined to become a stepping stone for moving forward.

July 2026, the Chinese automobile market witnessed an expected in-depth adjustment. The combination of a traditional off-season and the overdraft of demand in the first half of the year caused overall sales to decline nearly 20% year-on-year. Although the penetration rate of new energy vehicles continues to rise at a high level, the industry trend has clearly shifted, returning from "pulse-like" growth driven by short-term promotions to a normalized rhythm driven by real demand.

Under the pressure of the overall market, AION Hyper delivered a completely different set of results. July terminal sales reached 34,987 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 31.74%, achieving five consecutive months of positive year-on-year growth. Since March, AION Hyper has recorded double-digit year-on-year positive growth for five consecutive months.

In the first half of 2026, the combined sales of AION Hyper reached 174,938 vehicles, up 15% year-on-year. Including the 34,987 vehicles in July, the cumulative sales for the first 7 months of this year have reached 209,925 vehicles. Against the backdrop of a nearly 17% decline in the overall market, AION Hyper defied the trend and achieved independent performance.

This is not a matter of luck. 2026 marks the tenth year for GAC AION. Looking back to the beginning of the new energy vehicle industry, there were once more than 400 new energy vehicle brands competing at the peak nationally. After ten years of大浪淘沙 (washing the sand for gold), many brands floated and sank in an instant. New energy vehicle enterprises that have steadily survived for ten years are particularly scarce.

AION is one of the few survivors in this long run, and indeed a leader.

From 4.5 Billion to Nearly 2 Million Users; From B-Reliance to 80% Private Users

As early as 2017, GAC Group invested 45 billion yuan to build a new energy intelligent network industrial park, making GAC AION the core carrier for the development of new energy businesses.

At that time, the annual sales of new energy passenger vehicles in China were less than 600,000 units, and most traditional automakers still adopted the "converting oil to electricity" transitional plan, while AION chose the pure electric exclusive platform route. This decision secured a key time window for the development of AION and Hyper in the following years.

Thereafter, core technologies such as DANXIA Battery, Quark Electric Drive, and full-stack self-developed intelligent driving have landed one by one. The installation of DANXIA Batteries has exceeded 1 million units, and no malignant accidents caused by battery thermal runaway have occurred to date. The world's first new energy vehicle lighthouse factory was completed, and L2 to L4 level intelligent driving technology has achieved full-stack layout.

This "keeping head down and working hard" approach allowed AION to accumulate a user base of nearly 2 million users in ten years. It did not reach today by chasing short-term traffic dividends, but relied on the advantages of the GAC SOE platform, with full-stack self-developed core technologies and a complete independent industrial chain, calmly traversing multiple industry cycles.

However, the growth in volume once masked a structural problem. Early B-side mobility markets accounted for a relatively high proportion, and with this sector becoming saturated, the growth path faced bottlenecks.

AION chose active reform. At the end of 2025, under GAC Group's "Panyu Action" strategy, the AION Hyper BU was officially established, endowed with full value chain decision-making power for R&D, production, sales, and service, truly realizing "letting those who hear the gunfire command the battle". Relying on the IPD Integrated Development System, new car development cycles were significantly shortened, and R&D costs were effectively reduced.

At the channel level, the dual brands accelerated fusion. Sales outlets now cover cities above the 4th tier nationwide, and service networks expanded from hundreds to a thousand-level. Hyper focuses on "Smart Enjoyment Life" for taste and technology, facing the backbone of the era; AION deepens the positioning of "National Good Car" with "Smart Joy Life". The dual brands return to their positions and advance in synergy.

The results of institutional innovation are ultimately reflected in products and user structure.

AION i60 continues to iterate with 200,000 yuan-level extended range technology, with monthly sales consistently breaking 10,000 units, becoming one of the A-segment new energy SUVs that best understands Chinese families; AION N60, with a 100,000 yuan-level pricing, comes standard with LiDAR high-end intelligent driving, allowing young users to enjoy crossover-level intelligent driving experience at an entry-level price. Deliveries broke 10,000 units within just two months of launch, with a very high proportion of young users.

In the high-end market, the Hyper brand simultaneously launched heavy-hitting models such as A800 and S600, equipped with flagship configurations such as Huawei Qiankun Intelligent Driving and dual-chamber air suspension. The path to upward breakthrough is becoming increasingly clear.

More critically is the qualitative change in user structure. In the first half of 2026, the proportion of AION C-side private users had climbed to over 80%. The main sales models have fully switched from the early Y and S series to next-generation products such as i60 and N60. This means the brand has completely gotten rid of reliance on bulk orders and entered a good track driven by real consumption demand.

At the same time, AION Hyper's overseas layout is also accelerating. Currently, it has entered nearly 50 countries and regions, with overseas sales increasing nearly three times year-on-year. Thailand and India intelligent factories have landed successively, forming a global layout with domestic and overseas synergy.

Ray and a "New Venture" for the Young

Standing at the new starting point of the tenth year, AION has not stopped at the existing achievements of the "National Good Car".

On July 28, on the occasion of the brand reaching its full ten years, there was no grand celebration; instead, there was a dynamic move—launching a completely new independent car series Ray. "Ray" originally means light, the unique light on young people; the corners of the mouth automatically turn up when pronounced, like a smile. This echoes the lifestyle attitude of young users and implies that AION starts anew with the tenth year as the starting point.

The first model, Ray 7, is positioned as a mid-to-large super pure electric sedan and will officially debut in mid-to-late August. It features a 5-meter-class large body size and a low-slung wide-body posture, globally first to be equipped with a super chassis with chip-level drive-brake integrated architecture, equipped with L4-level shared algorithm LiDAR assisted driving, and will for the first time hang the all-new AION Logo.

This is not only a collection of new technologies but also carries AION's brand narrative for the new decade, moving from "National Good Car" to "Cars Loved by Young People".

According to the plan, AION Hyper will launch multiple brand-new models this year, covering new car series and intelligent models co-created in-depth with Huawei; in the next two to three years, there will be dozens of new car and facelift plans, and the product matrix will see intensive renewal.

Standing firm against the tides after ten years, renewing for the new. Years of technical and industrial in-depth farming have built a solid foundation for AION's long-term development. In the cycle of overall automotive market decline, it proved its resilience with growth exceeding 30%; in the wave of industry reshuffling, it used ten years of accumulation to complete the structural turnaround from B-side to C-side, and consolidated the foundation of development with 80% private users.

Channel fusion, overseas expansion, dual brand renewal, new car series set sail... This series of actions together build the system competitiveness of AION Hyper to traverse the cycle.

Now, AION is injecting new momentum for the next "tenth year" with a "New Venture" for the young. Ten years is not the end, but a new starting point. Just like the meaning of Ray, there is a starting point, but no end point.

Epilogue

Ten years is merely a moment in the long river of the automotive industry, but for a new energy vehicle enterprise that has broken through from over 400 competitors and traversed multiple cycles, these ten years are enough to verify one thing, that is, the real moat of the industry is not above the trend, but the solid chassis after the tide recedes.

When the cold wave of the car market in the summer of 2026 came, AION Hyper proved the ability of an enterprise to traverse the cycle with a year-on-year growth rate of over 30%. This growth was not an accidental pulse, but a natural release after the accumulation of ten years of system capabilities.

Standing at the node of the tenth year, the brand new set sail of the Ray car series announces that this long run has not yet reached the finish line. From National Good Car to Cars Loved by Young People, from the domestic market to global layout, AION's next ten years has just begun.

Those who stand firm against the tides fear neither wind nor waves. Because true confidence has always been in the accumulation of time.