AION Auto UK appoints Jon Wakefield as Managing Director

• Experienced industry leader Jon Wakefield to head up British management team
• AION Auto UK formed via a unique joint venture between GAC and Jameel Motors, combining the expertise of two automotive powerhouses
• Modern innovation grounded in timeless principles; AION is committed to doing business differently

London, 5 November 2025 – Ahead of the UK launch of the AION brand in early 2026, Jon Wakefield has been appointed as Managing Director of AION Auto UK.

AION was founded in 2017 as a high-value electrified brand from GAC Group, one of China’s largest and oldest vehicle manufacturers. AION Auto UK is a joint venture between GAC and Jameel Motors, a leading independent international vehicle distribution specialist and partner of choice to top automotive brands.

GAC has its origins in the 1950s and has over 20 years of experience in joint ventures with Honda and Toyota, establishing a culture of absolute quality. GAC Group’s heritage, combined with Jameel Motors’ experience of launching and building new brands in markets across Europe, Asia and Africa, sets AION up for success and long-term sustainable growth in the UK.

Wakefield brings over three decades of industry experience to his new role. After ten years fulfilling numerous senior roles across Volvo Cars in the UK and Europe, he returned to the UK in 2023 to join the Harwoods Group as Chief Executive Officer, where he led a restructuring process to optimise operations across the £650m retail business.

Speaking about his appointment, Wakefield said: “It’s not often you get the opportunity to start from a clean sheet, so I’m very much relishing the challenge. We’re building a new business for a well-established Chinese brand in a new market, but our joint venture structure uniquely allows us to draw on long-established resources and expertise of two automotive powerhouses.

“We can act with confidence and authority to pursue a strategy for long-term sustainable growth, and our entire operation can enjoy the benefits and agility of being a start-up. These include the way we collaborate with our retail partners, how we introduce our products, and how we focus on delivering an excellent customer experience.”

Leading AION’s introduction to the UK is the AION V, a C-segment SUV with presence and personality. Tough on the outside and inviting on the inside, AION V offers an all-electric range among the best in the class, an exceptionally spacious and versatile interior, a five-star Euro NCAP rating, and an eight-year warranty.

First customer deliveries of the AION V are planned for early 2026, and the lineup will expand with the addition of the AION UT, a B-segment hatchback, a few months later.

The AION V will make its trade debut at AM Live at the NEC in Birmingham on 12 November.