Chinese to unveil SUV at Detroit show

Herevis an artist's rendering of the GS4, a compact sport-utility vehicle that GAC Motor will debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit later this month. Provided to China Daily

Chinese car maker GAC Group will take a step forward in a bid to become an international car company when it debuts a vehicle at the prestigious North American International Auto Show in Detroit later this month.

GAC will launch the GS4, a high-performance compact sport-utility vehicle that features a 1.3- or a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine.

"The debut of GS4 at the North American International Auto Show will mark a milestone in GAC Motor's history because it shows that our products have met the international standards,"Wu Song, general manager of GAC said in a statement. "The high-performance SUV is indeed a representative of Chinese brand vehicles which are able to compete in the global market."

It will be the second time that GAC will participate in the high-profile North American auto show following its debut in 2013. GAC brands have already been endorsed by customers in the Middle East and South Asian markets and the company said it is planning a foray into the North American and European markets.

GAC has mentioned previously that it aims to enter the US market, said automotive analyst Namrita Chow of HIS, a global marketing company.

"Automakers in China are fiercely competing for market share, with local domestic brands struggling in comparison to internationally established brands which are also present in China. Local automakers need to highlight that their models can compete on the international stage in order to gain greater penetration in the domestic China market,” she told China daily in an e-mail.

According to Chow, this won't be the first time a Chinese auto company has chosen an international show to make a presence.

"Fellow Chinese automaker Changan has pushed a similar strategy. The Changan EADO sedan was first launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2011. The EADO is seeing strong growth in China with sales rising to 133,043 units in the first ten months of the year, up from 70,524 sold in the same period a year ago, according to IHS Automotive sales data. The EADO is an example of a locally built model, built by a local domestic automaker which is seeing strong growth in China in contrast with other locally produced models from local Chinese brands,” she said.

"As we exhibit our new models and the latest technology at the Detroit auto show, we hope to impress industry officials and foreign visitors not only on our cars, but also our credo," said GAC's Wu. "Our credo is to make the best cars for people under the most strict standards.”

GAC also will debut two concept cars at the Detroit show - WITSTAR and GA6 GT.

WITSTAR, an energy-efficient car designed by GAC, will provide a look at the company's effort to develop alternative energy cars.

Last year GAC drew attention when some of its models were featured in the movie Transformers 4 - Age of Extinction.

paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com