AION UT

The AION UT is an exciting new supermini created for Europe in the company’s Milan design studio, clearly distinguishable with its clean and compact silhouette, sleek aerodynamic surfaces, dynamic LED headlight design, and playful ‘pixel graphic’ daytime running lights. With owl-eye-inspired headlights, above the asymmetrically textured lower bumper, the AION UT projects a distinctively playful road presence that reflects its warm, fun character. 

AION UT is available in five metallic exterior paint finishes:

• Rocco White and Titian Red, as standard choices
• Jade Green and Night Shadow Black: £595
• Seine Silver: £595 (only available with Premium Pack)

AION UT was shaped by the team at GAC’s Guangzhou R&D centre, using one of China’s most advanced wind tunnels to achieve a drag coefficient of 0.32, for greater efficiency and range. It is fitted with two-tone 17” alloy wheels with 215/55 R17 tyres.

AION cars are designed by teams across Guangzhou, Shanghai and Milan, with the European centre serving as a vital hub in the brand’s global design strategy. The AION UT’s design was led by the Milan team with the brief to blend Eastern automotive innovation with sophisticated European aesthetics.

The energetic modern exterior of the AION UT is complemented by a striking interior with a level of quality and execution expected from larger, premium vehicle segments. Sharing a platform with its AION V stablemate, the AION UT benefits from a 2,750mm wheelbase, creating a spacious and comfortable cabin with generous legroom both front and rear.

Soft-touch fabrics and supple perforated leatherette upholstery provide premium touchpoints throughout the cabin. The minimalist dashboard and door cards feature subtly textured surfaces created using a heat embossing process for a soft, fine-grain texture, achieving a ‘leather-effect’ appearance. Bright aluminium interior trim elevates the cabin further, accenting key fixtures. Exceptional quality, fit, and finish are evident in every detail.

The interior is available in two themes:

• Noir, as standard
• French Cream: £195 (only available with Premium Pack)

The heated, manually adjustable steering wheel is home to easily navigated physical buttons on each of the spokes. The driver has a clear view through to the 8.88-inch LCD instrument panel, which crisply displays key driving information. This is complemented by a centrally mounted 14.6-inch multi-function touchscreen, with both ‘light’ and ‘dark’ themes.

The front seats are configured in an enveloping ‘Butterfly’ design with electric adjustability, six-way for the driver and four-way for the front passenger, ensuring supreme comfort for every journey. They have been developed using GAC’s comfort-oriented seat profile, providing excellent body support, wrap-around comfort, and ergonomic fit optimised by variable-density foam. The front seats also feature three-stage smart heating, with the addition of driver’s-seat ventilation with the Premium Pack (more below). Rear passengers aren’t left out, with excellent space and comfort, and seats that recline by up to 103°.

The inner panels of all four doors are made of low-carbon green steel with a high recycled steel ratio.

Premium Pack (£1,200)
Building upon the exceptional features and quality-driven value of the standard model, the Premium Pack adds high-end equipment throughout the AION UT.

The spacious cabin can be bathed with sunlight and sights from the outside world thanks to a large panoramic glass roof, complete with a full-length electric sunshade. Comfort is further enhanced with a three-stage ventilated driver’s seat, while added convenience is provided by an automatic anti-glare rearview mirror and electric folding door mirrors.

The inclusion of a smart powered tailgate improves everyday practicality, while a wireless phone charger and rear USB-A port ensure that all occupants can keep their devices charged with ease.

The Premium Pack also unlocks the option for buyers to choose an exclusive exterior paint finish – Seine Silver (£595) – and to select the classy French Cream interior leather upholstery (£195).

The AION UT integrates a host of technologies for comfort, entertainment and practicality. Its onboard computing systems are driven by GAC’s proprietary AI-powered ADiGO operating system, which coordinates ADAS, infotainment, AI assistant, cloud services, and OTA updates in perfect harmony to deliver an exceptional user experience.

ADiGO is powered by the latest automotive-grade Qualcomm Snapdragon™ SA8155P processor that ensures instant responses to user selections, functions and settings through the touchscreen, or via the voice-activated virtual assistant. It makes safe interaction with AION UT as fast and intuitive as possible, while also being energy-efficient.

User control is via the large 14.6-inch colour touchscreen which sits at the top of the centre console and provides intuitive access to infotainment options, settings, and functions. The most frequently used settings are always accessible via permanent soft keys along the lower edge of the touchscreen, including climate control, seat heating, audio volume, heated rear screen, 360-degree surround view cameras, door lock/unlock, and quick access to the panoramic roof blind settings (if Premium Pack is selected).

A dedicated section of the home screen menu can also be customised with user-defined widgets to give the driver rapid access to favourite functions.

Additionally, the entire display can be set to a light or dark theme, while users can also upload an image of their choice to use as a desktop background, or even a scrolling photo album.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto grant seamless access to users’ favourite apps, with a WiFi hotspot for added connectivity and convenience.

For music lovers, the ADiGO-powered audio system features six high-quality speakers with a combined output of 140 watts. It uses a pair of 20W tweeters in the front pillars and a 25W speaker in each door.

The ADiGO intelligent virtual assistant can be accessed either via a button on the steering wheel or by voice prompt. It provides intuitive voice-activated access and selection of key controls and settings, including climate, window and audio settings. Voice controls benefit from two-zone recognition, meaning the driver can say ‘open my window’ while driving, without having to take their hands off the wheel.

The ADiGO Sound Lite function enables selection of zonal audio direction, customising the focus of the audio output to four zones: driver, front passenger, centre of the car and the rear. It also offers users the option to select from a number of pre-defined high-fidelity equaliser settings.

USB-A and USB-C ports can be found in the lower layer of the centre console at the front of the car, while the addition of a cooled wireless charging pad is available with the Premium Pack. The Premium Pack also adds a USB-A port to the back of the centre console for the convenience of rear seat passengers. 12-volt power sockets are available in the front and the boot of AION UT.

The AION UT is engineered for modern life, with a level of practicality and versatility typically found in larger cars. As such, it has class-leading interior space, storage, and exceptionally easy access. 

The rear doors open to a wide, almost 90-degree angle, making for easy ingress and egress, as well as the straightforward loading and unloading of child seats. Both outside rear seats feature ISOFIX and i-Size compatible fittings to meet the highest safety standards.

The boot features adjustable floor height functionality, achieving up to 440 litres of cargo space (to the roof). For increased cargo capacity, the rear seats can be folded for a total of 1,600 litres.

Throughout the AION UT’s interior, there are 24 distinct storage compartments and cubbies, ensuring that each occupant has dedicated stowage for everything from mobile phones to drinks, as well as a shoe storage cubby in the boot.

The deep boot well offers an ideal space for the charging cable and tyre inflation kit.

The moveable boot floor can be laid in a lower position, below the boot lip, with a shallow tray area beneath. Alternatively, the floor can be lifted and positioned at the boot lip level, affording a greater out-of-sight underfloor volume, and a level floor for easier loading and unloading. Regardless of the level the boot floor is positioned at, it lifts to provide easy access to the lower tier. This highly versatile configuration allows users to tailor the boot to suit their load requirements for each journey. The Premium Pack adds an electronic tailgate to make rear loading as effortless as possible.

With 268 miles of range (WLTP), the AION UT has the longest standard range of electric B-segment vehicles in the UK, providing exemplary range without the need to upgrade to achieve true peace of mind. 

The UT benefits from sharing the same third-generation GAC AEP 3.0 platform as its AION V SUV sibling, which integrates the battery and drivetrain in a ‘skateboard’ structure to increase interior cabin space.

With a 400V architecture and an 87kW capacity DC charging system, the UT can charge from 10-80% in as little as 32 minutes, and 30-80% in just 24 minutes. For convenience at home, the onboard 11kW charger will provide a full battery charge in around 6 hours and 50 minutes. Owners can also start, stop and schedule charging without even leaving the sofa via the AION app (more information below).

Developed in conjunction with global battery technology leader CATL, the AION UT’s Lithium Ferro Phosphate (LFP) battery has a capacity of 60kWh. This battery chemistry does not need to limit the upper and lower states of charge in the same way NMC batteries do, because LFP benefits from greater chemical stability. This means that it has a robust tolerance to high states of charge and exceptional cycle life, ensuring that all 60kWh of capacity is available.

The AION UT’s battery design, configuration and packaging come from GAC’s proprietary Magazine Battery 2.0 technology. The model deployed in UT is a slimmer design than that in AION V to free up more interior space.

This ‘magazine-style’ design features battery packs housed in independent ultra-high-heat-resistant compartments with multi-layer insulation for effective passive thermal management. Additionally, GAC’s fifth-generation all-climate, 24/7, high-frequency battery monitoring system can activate industry-first active rapid cooling technology that boosts heat dissipation by 30%. This enables more efficient and effective active thermal management, mitigating cell overheating and the consequent degradation and damage.

Magazine Battery 2.0 is the first battery safety technology to pass both impact and nail penetration tests without any resultant ignition, open flame, or thermal runaway. It is, therefore, believed to be the safest EV battery in any car currently on sale globally.

The AION UT also features a super-efficient four-stage 10 kW heat pump as standard on all UTs. This helps keep the battery within its optimal operating temperature window, in turn maximising operational efficiency and therefore driving range and charging speeds, even on the coldest winter days. It can operate in temperatures as low as minus 30°C and has the added benefit of heating the cabin with far greater energy efficiency than a traditional resistive interior heater. The heat pump is one of the lightest and most efficient in the industry, with around 50% of the parts count of a conventional unit, resulting in a 48% weight reduction.

Adding to the UT’s versatility and utility, it comes standard with vehicle-to-load (V2L) technology. This enables the UT to act as a ‘power bank’, recharging and powering devices and tools when out and about. With the addition of a dealer accessory adaptor, the charging port can be used as a domestic three-pin socket, providing up to 3.3 kW at 220 V AC. The V2L function includes a failsafe that ensures the battery state of charge does not fall below 10%.

The AION UT leads its class in power and acceleration to deliver a fun and responsive drive. Propulsion through the front wheels comes from a single, highly efficient, 150kW (204 PS) motor that boasts 210 Nm maximum torque. This balances responsive performance with everyday efficiency and optimal range, making the UT an exciting yet practical hatchback.

It rides on MacPherson independent suspension at the front, paired with a torsion beam at the rear, for a proven combination of structural simplicity and robustness, with a well-controlled ride. This suspension arrangement noticeably maximises cabin space and boot space.

Ventilated 320mm front disc brakes and solid 308mm rear discs are supported by an Autohold functionality to provide added convenience in stop-start driving conditions on the UK’s congested roads.

Drivers can choose between three drive modes - Sport, Comfort and Power Save - allowing the driver to alter the characteristics of the AION UT to match their driving style, journey, and road conditions.

Sport mode unlocks maximum torque from the motor and sharpens the throttle response. Power Save mode limits the throttle response and adjusts the climate control parameters to ensure maximum range is available, if needed. Comfort mode provides a balance of efficiency without impacting in-cabin functions. 

In addition to the drive modes, two levels of regenerative braking can be selected, helping to improve driving range, particularly in urban conditions.

While AION UT has been designed for global sale, the AION Auto UK team worked alongside GAC to ensure that it was specifically optimised for the British market. The primary area of focus was on AION UT’s suspension set-up, ensuring that it was ideally suited to British roads, British motorists’ preferred driving styles, and British traffic characteristics. This resulted in a revised anti-roll bar, new spring and damper rates, as well as reconfigured bump stops, resulting in a playful and composed ride.

Following in the tyre tracks of the AION V, the AION UT implements many of the strategies used by GAC and AION Auto UK to improve UK market insurability. For the AION V, this was a 12-month process that included collaboration with Thatcham Research. As the AION UT shares the same platform, the lessons learned were transferred across during its preparation for the UK market, resulting in a group 26U insurance rating, one of the lowest among B-segment hatchbacks from new entrant brands.

The AION UT was awarded five stars by Euro NCAP when it was tested under the new and more stringent method in September 2026.

Passive safety is inherent in the AION UT. The body structure makes extensive use of high-strength materials to provide a robust energy-absorbing shell to maintain passenger cell integrity in the event of a collision.

Occupants are further protected by seven airbags, including dual front, side, centre (distal), and full-length curtain airbags. The AION UT is one of the few cars available in the UK with a distal airbag that inflates between the front passenger and driver in the event of a side impact, reducing the risk of direct head-on-head injuries.

Child passenger safety is paramount, and the curtain airbag features an extended design to protect child occupants’ heads. In addition, AION UT employs EU-standard i-Size fixings in both outboard rear seats.

GAC’s proprietary ADiGO PILOT technology powers its advanced, comprehensive suite of advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) that are designed to anticipate and minimise risk and prevent accidents on every journey.

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Integrated Cruise Assistance (ICA) support relaxed, confident long-distance driving, while Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) and Forward Collision Warning (FCW) provide a critical first line of defence against frontal impacts.

Lane discipline is supported by Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lane Departure Prevention (LDP), and Emergency Lane Keeping Assist (ELKA), while Blind Spot Detection (BSD), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), Rear Collision Warning (RCW), and Door Open Warning (DOW) collectively extend the vehicle’s awareness in every direction.

Intelligent High Beam Control (IHBC) optimises visibility after dark, a Driver Monitoring System (DMS) helps alert the driver to possible fatigue and inattention, and a standard-fit 360-degree camera system provides a complete view of the vehicle's surroundings at low speed.

MY AION is a smartphone app tailored by AION Auto UK to help owners remotely manage their car, check its status, and activate key functionality.

It carefully balances simple, intuitive access to useful, convenient functionality without overcomplicating or compromising ease of use. My AION allows users to quickly check the current battery state of charge and, when plugged in, to immediately start or stop charging. Users can also schedule charging, which is ideal for those wishing to take advantage of cheaper overnight energy tariffs.

Particularly useful for those with busy lives or who may occasionally be forgetful, not only can the app be used to remotely lock or unlock the car from the app, but also flash the lights or sound the horn – helpful for finding the car in a large car park.

The climate control can also be set remotely, making sure the cabin is perfectly comfortable at the start of a trip. Furthermore, a route can be planned on the app and sent to the car in advance so it’s pre-loaded upon start-up and ready to go.

The app’s Book a trip function ensures the AION UT is fully prepared for a journey planned in advance for a specific day and time. The passenger cabin will be pre-conditioned at the user’s preferred temperature while the three-stage ‘Smart Heated’ front seats are activated at the desired setting. This function also pre-conditions the battery to be at the optimum operating temperature upon start-up, ensuring it’s ready to deliver the maximum possible range.

The booked trip can be one-off, or can be set to repeat at the same time on selected days every week. With up to five scheduled trips available to use, the car can be ready for every commute, school run, visit to the gym, and other regular journeys. Booked trips are saved in the app, and can be toggled on and off, so that deactivating and reactivating a repeating booked trip is quick and easy.

AION has established relationships with leading automotive partners to support its arrival into the UK market with an industry-leading customer proposition.

The AION Great 8 Promise gives every customer:

• Eight-year 100,000-mile vehicle warranty
• Eight-year 125,000-mile battery warranty
• Eight years’ servicing
• Eight years’ roadside assistance
• MOT testing fees up to the eighth year from first registration

The AION Great 8 Promise dovetails with partnerships with the AA and DHL, emphasising the foundations that have been laid during 2026.

The AA partnership brings one of the UK’s most trusted motoring brands on side to offer dual support to AION customers. It will provide its renowned roadside and home-start assistance in the event of drivers needing urgent support.

In addition, while AION’s dealer network expands, the brand is utilising the AA’s Prestige garage network to cover areas where customers don’t have easy access to a dealership, as well as its 140-strong nationwide network of mobile technicians. They can be booked to come to a customer’s home or place of work if they don’t yet have a dealer on their doorstep, making routine maintenance or warranty appointments as convenient as possible.

Furthermore, AION has harnessed the AA’s expertise to provide a UK-based customer contact centre. Customers can pick up the phone and speak directly to a human about any product or aftersales queries.

The partnership with DHL has been developed to overcome one of the most common concerns around new entrants to the UK market: parts availability and supply. AION is harnessing DHL’s world-class inventory and logistics resources with a parts warehouse in Bury St. Edmunds, which was fully operational before the first AION V customer delivery took place in late May.

This centrally located hub is stocking over 1,250 part lines ready for nationwide next-day tracked deliveries to a dealer via DHL, so that the repair or replacement can be completed as quickly and efficiently as possible, getting AION UT back on the road with minimal fuss and delay.

The Bury St. Edmunds parts warehouse is in turn supported by a European parts hub in Rotterdam for restocking and provides rapid expedited delivery of any components not already held in the UK. It is designed to scale up as the AION line-up expands in the UK.

AION Auto UK aims to make the switch to low- and zero-emission driving as simple and hassle-free as possible. The brand has partnered with Jumptech, an innovative customer-first disruptor in the home charging sector. 

By choosing not to be affiliated with a specific charge point provider or energy company, AION is allowing its customers to maintain autonomy over their home charging decisions, giving them the freedom of choice to find a charger and energy supplier best suited to their lifestyle and budget.

Jumptech’s software streamlines the process of installing an EV home charger by connecting AION customers with charge point manufacturers, energy providers and installers who coordinate customer contact, survey and installation via a single platform.

For AION retailers, the Jumptech partnership presents an opportunity to close more EV sales by reducing the friction around home charging decisions. Jumptech connects the retailers' Lead Management Systems and Dealer Management Systems to approved charging and energy partners.

AION may be a new name to the UK, but it is not a start-up.

AION Auto UK is a joint venture between GAC Group and Jameel Motors, an independent international automotive distributor and mobility solutions provider. These two highly experienced shareholders bring the resources, commitment and expertise to succeed in building a sustainable, growing business in the UK.

AION benefits from GAC’s extensive technical resources, which see over $6.5bn invested in R&D each year. AION is one of the top-selling BEV brands in China with over 300,000 cars sold in 2025. It benefits from over 20 years of GAC joint ventures in development and manufacturing with Honda and Toyota, helping it establish a culture of absolute quality and earning nine consecutive 1st place JD Power Quality rankings in China.

AION Auto UK has approached its launch with a commitment to do things differently. As a ‘clean-sheet’ business with no legacy processes and systems, the business has been designed and built for long-term, sustainable growth.

The business is being led by a local senior management team that’s highly respected, hugely experienced and well-connected across the UK industry.

Its UK product portfolio will expand to at least six model lines by 2028 and eight by 2030, to include Plug-in Hybrid EVs (PHEVs), Range-Extended EVs (REEVs) and hybrid powertrains.