We’ve just seen the Aion S Plus on Malaysian roads, and here’s the confirmation that the EV brand is set to enter our market. China’s GAC Aion has appointed Tan Chong’s Warisan TC as the sole and exclusive distributor of the former’s electric cars in Malaysia.
In a Bursa filing, reported by The Edge, Warisan TC said that it is responsible for importing, distributing, selling and performing after-sales services for GAC Aion’s EVs in Malaysia. The agreement is for a term of three years.
Established in 2017, the Aion brand is owned by GAC Aion New Energy Automobile, which is a subsidiary of the GAC Group. Guangzhou Automobile Group’s Malaysian partner for its namesake brand is Warisan TC, which means that both GAC’s ICE cars and EVs are under one roof in Malaysia.
In May 2023, GAC and Warisan TC announced a CKD local assembly programme worth over RM60 million. It is GAC’s first CKD programme not just in ASEAN, but in the world. The first fruit of this marriage – the GAC GS3 B-segment SUV – is set to debut this year.
If you didn’t catch our recent post on the Aion S Plus, it’s Aion’s flagship electric sedan that was launched in China in June 2021. There, the Aion S Plus can be had in NEDC ranges of 410 km, 510 km and 602 km, with prices starting from 139,600 yuan (RM90,727) after government subsidies.
A 204 hp/350 Nm electric motor pushes the sedan from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds, but what’s unique is the claimed best-in-the-world aerodynamics of 0.211 Cd. Despite that, it doesn’t ‘look very aero’, unlike the Hyundai Ioniq 6.
The Aion S Plus is 4,810 mm long and 1,880 mm wide, which puts it around the size of a Toyota Camry, which is 75 mm longer but 40 mm narrower than the Aion. The EV’s 2,750 mm wheelbase is around that of a Civic FE. The taped-up car we see here has conventional door handles though, not the flush ones seen in Aion’s official images, and the wheels aren’t of the fancy aero variety.
So, it looks like the Aion S Plus is all set to be the next electric car to take advantage of Malaysia’s tax-free window for CBU EVs. Of course, the brand has SUVs too – check out the LX Plus and V here. What do you think?
GALLERY: Aion S Plus
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