GAC Motor gears up for North American market

GAC Motor, a subsidiary of Guangzhou Automobile Group, plans to launch its high-end vehicles in the North American market in the second half of 2019, according to a senior manager.

"We are developing systems of global research and development, sales service, marketing, processing and purchasing and supply to boost presence in the international market," said Yan Jianming, vice-president of GAC Motor.

Yan was speaking during an unveiling ceremony of the company's new sedan model, GA4, in Shanghai on Thursday evening. The GA4, an all-new signature sedan, is a mainstream model built on GAC Motor's own A-Class sedan platform, which is positioned as a family sedan of quality and charm.

The GA4, along with GAC Motor's first compact new-energy concept crossover vehicle, Enverge, made its first presence in the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which runs from Jan 14 to 28.

According to Yan, GAC Motor will unveil four new models in 2018, to facilitate its high-end lineup of sedans, SUVs and MPVs.

GAC Motor, based in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, sold more than 508,600 vehicles in 2017, with a year-on-year increase of 37 percent, according to Yan.

In the domestic market, the company has established seven sales centers in central, northern, northeastern, southwestern, southern, northwestern and eastern areas of China by the end of 2017, aiming to boost its presence of homegrown vehicles.