a day ago
- Automotive
- South China Morning Post
Chinese carmaker GAC's electric-van unit takes aim at Ford and Stellantis in Europe
A commercial-vehicle subsidiary of China's state-owned carmaker
GAC Group has its sights set on Europe, where it hopes its electric vans can lure corporate buyers away from petroleum-powered models built by the likes of Ford and Stellantis.
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Xiao Ning, CEO of Miraco Motor, told the Post that the company would launch its first model in Europe next year. It aims to grab 10 per cent of the European market, where more than 1.7 million vehicles of this type are sold each year for public transport, goods delivery, emergency services and commuting.
'Electric commercial vehicles have an overwhelming advantage over petrol rivals because of electricity's lower cost than gasoline,' he said. 'Our van will compete against six to seven rivals there, and we think it's reasonable to target a 10 per cent share.'
Established in late 2023 and based, like GAC, in Guangzhou in southern China's Guangdong province, the company is displaying its prototype models in Hong Kong at the International Automotive & Supply Chain Expo, which ends on Sunday.
Miraco's battery-powered vans can go as far as 350km on a single charge. Xiao said the company also planned to offer autonomous-driving systems so that its vans could vie for a share of the robotaxi industry around the world.
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The company uses a modular design approach that separates the drivetrain components from the cabin and cargo areas, to make it easier to spin out new models.
Its first production model, a minibus, would hit the Hong Kong market this year, he said.
