China's GAC Motor to enter US market by 2020

GAC Group's EV concept car Enverge is displayed at a recent auto show in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

DETROIT - Guangzhou Automobile Group Motor Co Ltd. (GAC Motor) plans to enter the US market next year, the Chinese company's president said Monday in Motor City of the United States.

At a press conference following the unveiling of its electric vehicle concept SUV at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), GAC said it hopes to enter the US market in the first half of 2020.

GAC's first appearance at NAIAS was in 2013, and the company has held several global introductions on its stage here.

"There are a lot of challenges in this industry," GAC president Yu Jun said. "Our ultimate objective is to build the company into a world-class brand and globalized brand. We need to work toward that goal. We are technology- and innovative-driven... We think American consumers will enjoy our products."

The three-row, seven-seat concept vehicle GAC unveiled is called the Entranze EV. It is the first concept vehicle from GAC's North America design studio in California. Designers ditched traditional thinking and worked on the interior and exterior at the same time to create a coastal architecture-inspired flow that blurs the indoor and outdoors.

GAC operates in 16 countries. In 2018, it sold more than 535,000 cars globally, up 5.23 percent year-on-year.

GAC is preparing to open a new research and development center in March in Farmington Hills in Michigan. It already has one in Silicon Valley in addition to its advanced design center in Los Angeles.

This is the last year that NAIAS will be held in January. Beginning in 2020, the industry will hold the show in June. This year's NAIAS, starting Monday and closing on Jan 27, expects to have 5,000 journalists from more than 60 countries, with some 30 vehicle debuts, more than 750 vehicles on display in the Cobo Center.