GAC Aion to take on Tesla with new platform

Chinese carmaker GAC Aion unveiled Thursday its latest-generation EV platform, which it said can enable its vehicles to take on Tesla models.

GAC Aion said it has introduced hyper car technology into the platform, called the AEP 3.0.

The carmaker said vehicles built on the platform can have a top speed of 300 km/hour, and the acceleration takes merely 1.9 seconds for multiple-electric motor vehicles and 4.9 seconds for single-electric motor ones.

Tesla's fastest model, the Model S Plaid, accelerates from zero to 100 km/hour in 2.1 seconds. It takes 5.3 seconds for the more popular Model 3 sedan to finish the sprint.

The AEP 3.0 platform also enable models to excel in terms of the radius of turning circle and the braking distance, said the carmaker.

GAC Aion is one of the first Chinese carmakers to launch an EV platform. The carmaker said it will unveil its electric and electrical architecture on Tuesday.

As one of the most popular electric carmakers in China, GAC Aion sold 30,063 electric vehicles in October, up 149 percent year-on-year.

Its total sales in the first 10 months this year reached 212,384 units, up 134 percent year-on-year. The carmaker's sales target for this year is 200,000 units.