AION Auto UK makes trade debut with a commitment to doing things differently

• Experienced British leadership team working in partnership with retailers to deliver quality, value and exceptional customer experience
• AION Auto UK is committed to bringing new ideas to UK motor retail, including an innovative modular showroom display
• AION brand launches in the UK in 2026 with two models offering smart design, innovative tech, and multi-award winning quality, with the line-up expanding each year
• UK business is a unique joint venture, combining two automotive powerhouses – GAC and Jameel Motors

London, 12 November 2025 – New electrified car brand, AION, made its UK debut to the motor retail sector today at AM Live at the NEC in Birmingham with a commitment to bring a fresh approach in the way it does business with retailers.

AION was founded by GAC in 2017 as a high-value electrified brand. It sold over 330,000 BEVs in China last year, ranking fourth for electric car sales in its home market. The AION brand will officially launch in the UK early next year, with first customer deliveries in the spring.

Experienced British management
AION Auto UK is being led by Managing Director Jon Wakefield, who formerly held leadership roles at Volvo UK, Volvo Europe, and Harwoods. He is heading up a British senior management team that is highly respected, hugely experienced and well-connected across the UK industry.

“We’re bringing a new brand – but not a start-up – to the UK and we’re setting out to do things differently,” explains Wakefield. “We’re looking for retail partners, not dealers. We’ll establish partnerships based on strong relationships and trust. We want to work with them to design a framework that makes for straightforward business.

“Taking this different approach won’t be easy, but retailers tell us it’s a breath of fresh air. With deeper trust, business is simpler. Success lies in a commitment to provide an exceptional customer journey, from research and test drive through to purchase and into aftersales. That gives us the strongest foundations from which to build sustainable, long-term and profitable business for us and for our retail partners.”

Modular showroom display
Exemplifying its innovative approach, AION Auto UK used its trade debut to unveil a modular showroom display that enables retailers to quickly adopt the new AION brand into their existing showroom space. It will provide retail partners with a cost-efficient, sustainable, easily deployed on-brand showroom presence, avoiding the need for large upfront investments and wholesale interior renovations.

Its modular construction means retailers can configure the showroom display as they wish, starting with two cars, and expanding the footprint as the model line-up and the scale of the business grows. Initial set-up and subsequent expansion of the display structure takes just a few hours, further reducing the scale of the investment in creating a smart, professional showroom presence.

World-class EVs backed by global automotive powerhouses
Leading AION’s introduction to the UK market is the AION V C-segment SUV, with deliveries planned to start in the spring. The AION UT B-segment hatchback will follow a few months later. The line-up will expand with new products being introduced each year, ultimately offering a full family of seven models by the end of the decade.

AION benefits from GAC’s extensive technical resources, which see over $6.5bn invested in R&D each year. The Group also has long-standing technical and manufacturing partnerships with established global suppliers and car manufacturers, establishing a culture of absolute quality that has helped it win nine consecutive first place JD Power Quality rankings in China.

AION Auto UK is a joint venture between GAC Group, one of China’s largest and oldest vehicle manufacturers, and Jameel Motors, 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.