[Intro: GAC's 30 million vehicles gather the spectacular years of every tributary. 30 million vehicles are not cold data; they are the energy of 30 million engines starting, the choices and trust of 30 million users. The river flows endlessly, and memories stretch on forever. 30 million vehicles are also a brand new starting point. GAC, with even more surging new energy waves and brighter lights of intelligence, rushes towards the stars and the sea.]

Author: Li Suwan

On July 16, 2026, GAC Group welcomed the historic moment of 30 million vehicles rolling off the line. Leading the way were GAC Honda P7, GAC Toyota Platinum Wisdom 7, Qijing GT7, GAC AION N60, and GAC Hyper S600, rolling off the line as vehicles 29,999,995 to 29,999,999 respectively. The long-awaited 30-millionth new vehicle was a right-hand drive version of the GAC Trumpchi M8 PHEV at the press conference scene. The owner was Tony Jaa, an international action superstar from Thailand.

This releases some signals: GAC is advancing electrification and intelligence transformation at full speed, accelerating from Guangzhou to the world. The internationalization of its independent brand has become one of the main themes of the future.

GAC Group Chairman Feng Xingya talked at the press conference with emotion: "From 0 to 30 million, we only used 29 years."

In fact, counting from the first Accord sedan of GAC Honda rolling off the line on March 26, 1999, it took GAC Group only 27 years to realize the leap from 1 to 30 million vehicles. In these years, seasons change. Whether it is the Chinese automobile industry or GAC, tremendous changes have taken place. The Chinese automobile industry has experienced the shift from "chasing" to "keeping pace" and then to "leading" in some areas, while GAC has undergone a transformation from fuel vehicles to electric vehicles, and from "introducing in" to "going out".

Behind the 30 Million Vehicles, A Relentless Flow

Behind 30 million vehicles, just how many memories are hidden? The Accord created the myth of "highly sought-after vehicles" and GAC Honda pioneered the domestic "4S" automobile sales service model. The Camry soared to success, realizing GAC Toyota's myth of "produced and profitable in the same year". The GS4 became instantly popular, staging the Trumpchi myth. AION, relying on pure electric models like AION Y, once achieved monthly sales surpassing Tesla and joined the new energy BAT. Hyper SSR became China's first mass-produced million-level pure electric supercar. Qijing GT7 opened the door to the first realm... In the wave of fierce competition in the automotive industry, GAC has moved forward courageously time and time again. In the process of the development of the Chinese automobile industry, although GAC was not the earliest starting company nor the largest one, it has still left a heavy touch, and its status is indispensable.

Currently, the electrification and intelligence transformation in the automotive industry is continuing to deepen, and the market pattern is accelerating reconstruction. GAC faces multiple challenges such as joint venture pressure, industry involution, and technical breakthroughs, while also welcoming a new window period for development. The situation where GAC relied on GAC Honda and GAC Toyota as "cash cows" to earn substantial profits has changed. Due to intensified domestic market competition, declining overall industry sales, and price wars among major car companies, affected by factors such as declining terminal sales, continued increase in sales investment, and rising raw material costs, the investment income of GAC's joint ventures decreased year-on-year. Meanwhile, to seize the market, sales investment surged, combined with rising raw material costs, the independent brand's profits also declined year-on-year. In the first half of 2026, GAC Group expects a net attributable loss of 4.06 billion to 4.57 billion yuan.

GAC, undergoing pain amidst the turbulent changes, is gathering strength for transformation and seeking a breakthrough. Faced with the sudden changes in the domestic car market, GAC adopted the strategy of "trading profits for volume", which has begun to show results. In the first half of 2026, GAC's cumulative sales reached 773,100 units, an increase of 2.35% year-on-year. The rapid growth of the independent sector and the doubling breakthrough of overseas markets are not only the answer sheet given by the market but also the votes of confidence given by users.

With the positive effects of the "Panyu Action" reform transmitting to the market, GAC's independent brands have shown strong growth momentum. In the first half of the year, cumulative sales reached 346,000 units, an increase of 35.69% year-on-year, with a new energy penetration rate reaching 62.82%. AION successfully shook off the ride-hailing label, models like AION i60 were hot-selling, household model sales were high, and the C-end share broke through 80%. Trumpchi relied on M8 to continuously secure its place in the domestic MPV top tier. Hyper deeply cultivated the high-end new energy market. In addition, GAC joined hands with Huawei for in-depth cooperation to create the Qijing brand. The first car, Qijing GT7, received 5,200 major deposits on the first day of the launch, successfully knocking on the door of the 200,000 to 350,000 yuan high-end intelligent new energy market. Relying on Huawei's technological momentum, GAC jumped out of the shortcoming of slow intelligent research and development of traditional car companies, got the entry ticket to the AI car era, and reshaped the upper limit of brand value. At the same time, Qijing obtained the support of CATL and central state-owned capital, laying a solid financial foundation for future development. AION, Trumpchi, Hyper, and Qijing form a tiered layout, and the independent sector is becoming the core momentum of GAC's growth.

Meanwhile, GAC's joint venture sector still has chassis advantages and deep system foundations. GAC Toyota's transformation results are outstanding. Platinum Wisdom 3X has become the sales champion of joint venture pure electric vehicles. Camry and Sienna continued to sell well. Honda Accord has consistently maintained a C-IASI G-level safety rating. Its resale value has led the industry for years. The deep user reputation, million-kilometer owners' recognition, and perfect dealer network remain valuable assets. In addition, GAC Honda is implementing localized electric vehicle models. The joint venture sector can still stabilize the basic platform and empower each other with the independent sector.

A Time Will Come When I'll Cut the Wind and Ride the Waves

Current sales growth is only the surface appearance. Behind GAC are hidden currents of deep-seated transformation, forming a new competitive system.

Memories are a river. GAC ferries on it, not only on the boats but also in silently caring for the warmth and cold of every passenger. Offline channels like tributaries meandering into the depths of counties intend to set up a thousand stores within the year; 600 outlet certifications were already completed in half a year, bringing convenient services such as car viewing and maintenance closer to more users. Online "Super Butler" acts like a swift vessel on the river, sending demands directly to the hub, ensuring every matter has a response. The energy replenishment network is the lighthouses deployed along the river. "9 Vertical and 10 Horizontal" traverse north and south. 27,000 self-operated charging piles are scattered like sparks. There must be a station within one kilometer in core urban areas, melting the anxiety of long-distance travelers in the reachable warm light along the way. As for safety, it is the most calm color of this river — the domestic "Three Responsibilities" promise is its solemn answer to wind and waves. The Star Spirit Guard System has already served nearly 2 million users, cumulatively preventing potential accidents 6.28 million times. The Magazine Battery has supported the safety of 1.5 million new energy vehicles, cumulatively driving over 160 billion kilometers, supporting the peace of mind of every journey. Thus, GAC's service is like the long-flowing river. It is quiet, yet it reaches everywhere.

GAC is making every effort to protect user driving safety, starting from the source of products. Quality is the foundation of GAC's existence and the bottom-line support that 30 million users trust. From the lean manufacturing experience accumulated during the joint venture cooperation period to the technological breakthrough and upgrading in the stage of independent innovation, the extreme pursuit of quality has always run through the full lifecycle of products from research and development to delivery. The river of memories carries sweat, blueprints, extreme weather on the test track, and countless nights solving bottleneck technologies. As one of the world's first new energy vehicle lighthouse factories, GAC AION Intelligent Ecosystem Factory can roll off a vehicle every 53 seconds, meeting the mixed-line production of over 100,000 personalized configurations and more than 20 types of car colors and models. Production and testing links deeply integrate Huawei's cutting-edge intelligent technologies and use digital means such as AI vision inspection and AI anomaly sound analysis to comprehensively guarantee the quality stability of every vehicle rolling off the line. Before the launch of each new GAC vehicle, it must undergo verification by over 500 engineers, over a thousand days and nights, nearly 10,000 test validations, with a cumulative equivalent test mileage of over 13 million kilometers, comprehensively covering all kinds of extreme usage scenarios.

In the technical navigation lane, GAC has the posture of accumulated strength for a breakthrough. In the early years, it was one of the pioneers of the Three-Electric layout. The paddle sound entered the water, but at the forefront of intelligence, it seemed to slow down half a step, and the strength of self-research did not stir up waves at the time. However, the navigation of this car company has always taken safety as the bottom line — not eager for splashes of waves at the moment, but seeking steady crossing and long-distance travel in a long river. The Star Spirit Safety Guard System is the strong defense line hidden underwater, with four dimensions setting defenses layer by layer and eight systems dual redundancy standing together. With double investment, the shore of travel is built solid in unseen places. At the same time, it does not paddle alone on a lonely boat. It cooperates with excellent tech partners such as Huawei to expand navigation channels together, converge and advance together, hoping for a surging momentum of 1+1>2. The sea accepts rivers. GAC embraces new opportunities with an open attitude, knocks on the door of the new car era, and leads the future with hard-core technology. Meanwhile, GAC seeks new navigation channels with the force of the rising tide. Solid-state batteries, Robotaxi, flying cars, humanoid robots, etc., are becoming its earnest new tributaries, planning a longer-term flow.

When the old channel becomes increasingly crowded, GAC carves out a new seaport. The "One GAC 2.0" strategy is the new compass, guiding product exports to shift to systemic exports. In the first half of 2026, the export volume of GAC's independent brands reached 121,500 units, a year-on-year surge of 132%, accelerating the injection of strong growth momentum into the 30-million-user map for the world. Currently, GAC's international business has covered 110 countries and regions in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, the Americas, Europe, and other five major sectors, built 746 sales and service outlets, 6 overseas production plants, and 9 overseas parts warehouses, forming a localized operating capability covering the full value chain of research and development, production, supply, and sales, transporting mature domestic hybrid and pure electric products to the global market, avoiding the quagmire of domestic price wars, and opening up new space for long-term growth at a wider seaport.

The waters of the Pearl River flow forward. On one side is the ancient city culture; on the other is the prosperity of the new city. Located on the banks of the Pearl River, GAC Group, since the day it was built on the ruins of GAC Peugeot, was destined to undergo many twists and turns in fate, like the tides rising and falling, rising and falling. 30 million vehicles form another river, with bustling traffic flowing endlessly. In the waves of the times, opportunities and challenges have always gone hand in hand. In GAC's journey forward, sometimes the river surface is calm and clear, flowing peacefully; sometimes it encounters reefs, surging and churning. A time will come when I'll cut the wind and ride the waves, hoist my cloud sail to cross the vast sea. For GAC, although it is currently facing the pain of transformation and short-term challenges, its series of layouts for the future are gradually becoming clear. It is gathering strength in the new wave and pushing the boat towards a further sea.

Commentary

The automotive industry is in a period of change, with severe screening and continuous ups and downs. Although GAC encountered many challenges in the current stage, it possesses nearly 30 years of manufacturing foundation, advantages in domestic and international leading technology cooperation, and global incremental space. In the future, by accelerating the pace of joint venture innovation, independent self-sustaining growth, and overseas expansion, as well as accelerating the transformation towards electrification and intelligence, it can navigate industry cycles. 30 million vehicles is a brand new starting point for GAC.

(This article is an original of Heyan Yueche. Reproduction is not allowed without authorization)