GAC AION ES

An affordable yet feature-packed option, GAC’s latest release, the Aion ES, officially launched in Malaysia.

A Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), the C-segment (sedan) contender underpins the AION Electric Platform 2.0 (AEP 2.0).

Fully-imported (CBU - China), available via WTC Automotif (WTCA - official distributor) is one variant (Aion ES - MYR 106,800).

Price (OTR, w/o insurance) covers a vehicle warranty (eight years/160,000 KM) and an EV battery/drive system warranty (eight years/200,000 KM).

Included is a launch package (7 KW AC home wallbox charger - MYR 3,500).

Three exterior colours (single-tone - Glamour Black, Holographic Silver, Pure White). One interior colour (single-tone - Black).

Mounted is an analogue driver display (instrument cluster) with a 3.5-Inch LCD Multi-Information Display (MID).

Comfortable, the interior sees leatherette upholstery (seats, dash, centre console, door cards), in a single-tone (Black) colour scheme.

Fitted are manual-operated (front - driver-six-way, passenger-four-way/rear - 60:40 split-fold bench) Comfort Seats. 

Included are armrests (front - centre console, rear - centre seat fold-out), and headrests (height adjustable - front, rear).

One of the largest in its category (C-segment sedan), the five-seater offers comfortable seating with a generous cabin space, providing ample interior mobility for the occupants (front, rear).

Sufficient head-, shoulder-, and leg-room.

Practical storages available. E.g., centre console caverned/partitioned spaces, a glove box, and seat back/side door pockets.

Mounted is a two-spoke-rounded steering wheel, wrapped in leatherette (Black) with contrast trimmings (Silver).

Features are multi-function (Bluetooth, media, vehicle telematics), and column adjustments (tilt, telescopic). 

Aiding the drive is an Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) system.

Provided are four cup holders (two - front, rear), and four bottle holders (one - side door pockets).

Installed are one 12 V power socket (front) and four USB ports (two - front, two - rear). 

Included is a 3.3 KW Vehicle-To-Load (V2L) charging function for powering of external appliances.

Accessing its electric-boot-lid (one-touch button, remote/key fob), opens up to 450-Litres of load capacity.

Weighing in at 1,665 KG, the Aion ES measures at 4,810 MM in length, 1,880 MM in width, 1,545 MM in height, and with a wheelbase spanning 2,750 MM.

Sleek and minimalist, its exterior parades sportily-boxy outlook, emphasised by neatly-cut surfaces and sharply-moulded contours.

A short-overhang, the front-end sees a mildly-side-raised bonnet, angular quarter panels, and a clean-form-pointed bumper (‘GAC’ emblem, lower full-width grille - vertical inserts).

Accentuations are body trimmings (Black - grille, bumper lip, side sills, side mirror arms/Chrome - ‘GAC’ emblem, side window surrounds).

Simply-uncluttered, it continues the athletically-boxy silhouette, emphasised by sharply-chiselled edges and symmetrically-shaped curves.

A short-overhang, the rear-end sees a typical sedan roofline, an upright-formed boot-lid (‘GAC’ emblem), angular quarter panels, and a smooth-surfaced bumper (slim diffuser).

Accentuations are body trimmings (Black - diffuser, side sills/Chrome - ‘GAC’ emblem, boot-lid top bar, side window surrounds).

Sharp and pointed, the ‘Flowing Arc’ headlamps are framed angularly-inward-tilted with wrapped-around edges. Installed are full LED units.

Features are LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL), automatic On/Off, manual levelling, Follow-Me-Home lights, and turn signals (LED).

Slim and contemporary, the ‘Laser Blade’ tail lamps are framed in a full-width strip design (lightbar) with wrapped-around edges. Installed are full LED units.

Features are automatic On/Off, Follow-Me-Home lights, and turn signals (LED). Paired to the layout is a set of fog lamps (LED). 

The side mirrors (two-tone - Black-body-colour) are electric-powered (auto-fold, adjust) with turn signals (LED).

Mounted are ventilated (front) and solid (rear) disc brakes. 

Drive is aided by Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold and i-Pedal-Driving (regenerative braking - three settings - LOW/MEDIUM/HIGH) systems.

Mounted is a set of 17-Inch multi-spoke (single-tone - Silver) aluminium-alloy rims, wrapped in rubbered-up in 215/55 R17 (front, rear) Sentury 1 tyres.

The Aion ES features the following suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

Grouped are Hill-Hold Control (HHC), Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), and Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA).

Passive safety comprises two airbags (driver-passenger), seat belts (pretensioners, anchors, reminders), ISOFIX (outer - rear-seats), automatic-door-locks (speed-sensing), parking cameras (reverse, 360-degree), automatic-dimming rear-view mirror (interior), ultrasonic parking sensors (three - rear), parking camera (rear - wide angle), Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold system, Cruise Control System (CCS), and Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).

Three selectable drive modes (ECO, NORMAL, SPORT).

Mounted is an 8.0-Inch touchscreen central display (infotainment), supporting Bluetooth, USB, radio, Apple CarPlay (wireless), and navigation.

Sound is channelled via a setup of AION Sound System (four speakers).

The Aion ES harbours a fully-electrified powertrain (BEV).

Nestled is a single-e-motor setup (front-mounted - Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor - PMSM), generating 100 KW (134 HP) and 225 NM.

Fused to the mill is a single-ratio automatic transmission.

Power is transmitted to the front wheels, via a Front-Wheel Drive (FWD) setup.

Juicing-up the e-motor is AION’s Magazine Battery (Lithium iron Phosphate - LFP - 55.2 KWH), enabling a total driving range of 442 KM (NEDC).

AC charging (Type 2 - 6.6 KW) takes 11 hours for a 0% to 100% State-of-Charge (SoC). DC charging (CCS2 - 60 KW) takes 30 minutes (30% - 80% SoC) and 1.5 hours (0% - 100% SoC).

Included is a 3.3 KW Vehicle-To-Load (V2L) charging function for powering of external appliances.

The Aion ES features these conveniences. 

E.g., keyless entry (engine Start/Stop), electric-boot-lid (one-touch button, remote/key fob), dual-zone automatic air-conditioning system (rear air-vents, PM2.5 air filtration system, pre-conditioning), armrests (front - centre console, rear - centre seat fold-out), headrests (height adjustable - front, rear),  steering wheel (multi-function - Bluetooth, media, vehicle telematics, column adjustments, EPS), parking camera (reverse - wide angle), automatic-dimming rear-view mirror (interior), Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold system, i-Pedal-Driving (regenerative braking - three settings - LOW/MEDIUM/HIGH) system, interior lighting (reading, boot), automatic headlamps (On/Off), automatic wipers (rain-sensing), automatic windows (driver - one-touch-up/down-anti-pinch, passenger - one-touch-down), 3.3 KW Vehicle-To-Load (V2L), and Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).

Installed is a dual-zone automatic air-conditioning system (rear air-vents, PM2.5 air filtration system, pre-conditioning).

Ride comfortability feels flexible and firm at the same time. The saloon delivers a comfortable and light steering feel with smooth e-powertrain delivery.

Propping-up the electric platform (AEP 2.0) is a suspension setup of Macpherson strut (front) and torsion beam (rear).

Good sound insulation with the NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) aspects accounted for. The ride is quiet, refined and the cabin is mostly serene.

The GAC Aion ES radiates a sleek and minimalistic outlook. An aerodynamically-boxy design language, featuring angularly-curvy body contours.

Inside, it’s simple and airy, the layout provides a sense of comfort and easy connectivity to the occupants.

Ultimately, the build quality is satisfactory, and with its distinctive outlook and competitive pricing, the Aion ES is truly a contender in its segment.