GAC's Aion Hyper HT BEV open for booking in Thailand, gullwing rear doors from est RM 260k

Bound for Malaysia within the first half of the year (H1 2024), Aion is the battery electric vehicle (BEV) sub-brand of China’s Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC).

It made its ASEAN debut in our northern neighbour last year and at the ongoing 2024 Bangkok Motor Show, Aion made a special announcement.

The Land of Smiles serves as the regional hub for the BYD rival and as such it comes to no surprise that the Kingdom is also the right-hand drive (RHD) market debut of the Aion Hyper HT BEV SUV.

The Aion Hyper series serves as the flagship performance offshoot of the Aion sub-brand. The Hyper HT follows the Hyper SSR electric supercar and the Hyper GT electric sports sedan and looking at the rear gullwing doors of the Hyper HT, it is inspired by the Tesla Model X.

While the trio of Aion Hyper models were on display at Aion’s booth in IMPACT Arena, only the Hyper HT is shown with the steering wheel on the right. It is also bound to be launched in Thailand with bookings opened though prices are only estimated to start from THB 1,999,900 (~RM 259k).

The Hyper HT was launched in China back in November 2023 with four powertrain options, all of them rear-wheel drive (RWD):

• 245 PS/355 Nm, 70-kWh LFP battery, 550 km CLTC
• 245 PS/355 Nm, 72.7-kWh LFP battery, 600 km CLTC
• 340 PS/430 Nm, 80-kWh NMC battery, 670 km CLTC
• 340 PS/430 Nm, 93-kWh NMC battery, 770 km CLTC

In China, the rear gullwing doors are only available on a couple of trims but according to Thai media, this feature is expected to be standard.

Other features available include frameless doors with hidden flushed door handles, panoramic glass roof, 19- or 20-inch alloy wheels, dual wireless charging pads, massaging seats, and 22 Dolby Atmos speakers.

During the Hyper HT’s announcement, Aion Thailand said that delivery for the BEV crossover would begin in August. It also announced its aim to build 15 Hyper Premium fast charging stations to serve Aion Hyper customers this year with a target of 100 chargers across Thailand by 2028.

Aion Thailand has also begun construction of its plant in Rayong with the first phase scheduled for completion in July 2024. The first GAC Aion model to be built at the Thai plant would be the Aion Y Plus which was previewed in Malaysia earlier this year.

Also read: GAC's Aion Y Plus EV previewed in Malaysia, 430 km WLTP, 204 PS/225 Nm

The Aion Y Plus is a 5-seater SUV that looks like a mini-MPV. Roughly the size of the Toyota Corolla Cross, the Aion Y Plus is available in Thailand in 2 variants and priced from THB 969,000 (~RM 125k).

Both the Aion and GAC brands are to be distributed in Malaysia by WTC Automotif (M) Sdn Bhd (WTCA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Warisan TC Holdings Berhad (a Tan Chong Group company).

Also read: Launching in Malaysia by 1H 2024 - GAC's Aion EVs, here are the models you can expect