DETROIT, Jan. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) 2015, the showcase event for the best that the automotive industry has on offer, opened in Detroit on January 12. As the only Chinese carmaker exhibiting at the show, GAC Motor made its blockbuster appearance with three proprietary models, among which, for one model, the GS4, the show was the vehicle's world debut, drawing the attention of leading media organizations worldwide.
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More than 60 models, NAIAS's strongest lineup ever, will make their world premiere at this year's event. The fact that GAC Motor's GS4 will appear at NAIAS - an event that has been a constant for more than a century -, and compete with global brands makes it clear that the pace of work at and the strength of GAC Motor's R&D in the field of SUVs cannot be underestimated. The GS4, a blend of GAC Motor's latest R&D achievements, technology standards and the strictest of quality specifications, goes far beyond what the average car buyer in China has expected in a compact SUV.
GAC Motor chose to debut the GS4 at NAIAS, revealing the automaker's ambition to usher in a new era for SUVs. As the only Chinese brand exhibiting at the show, GAC Motor is showing its resolve to take its rightful place on the world stage.
With an accumulation of outstanding achievements, the GS4 ushers in a new era for SUVs
"We are not just making good cars, we are building a world-class auto brand in the hope and expectation that consumers around the world will come to know and like what GAC Motor has to offer!" In this era of intense competition between automakers worldwide, GAC general manager Wu Song seized the opportunity to redefine the blueprint of the Chinese automobile and build GAC Motor into China's No.1 auto brand – a brand that meets first-class international standards in all respects.
The SUV market is where GAC Motor has chosen to prove itself to the world as the firm moves beyond the borders of its home market. SUVs are witnessing robust growth in emerging markets and especially in China, hence, all the major automakers have jumped into the fray. With the GS5 and the GS5 SUPER having taken commanding positions within their respective segments, the three models (GS4, GS5 and GS5 SUPER) are each doing their bit to enrich GAC Motor's SUV lineup.
The GS4 is built on GAC's brand-new Platform-A. The design of the vehicle's exterior is a perfect interpretation of the firm's world-leading molding and designing aesthetics and is based on a design program, Light and Shadow Sculpture 2.0, which highlights GS4's proportional and streamlined body and high-end temperament. Differing from Japanese compact and lightweight cars, the GS4 exudes a feeling of gravitas and of power normally associated with European models. This has been achieved through the flow of the lines and the alternation of light and shadow, highlighting the stature and perfect proportions of the entire vehicle. As light and shadow alternates, the GS4 becomes imbued with a feeling of vivaciousness, dynamism and modernity that further enhances its appearance.
When it comes to the interior design, the GS4 retains the fine workmanship and humanized tradition of the GS family. The choice of interior color defines its high-end status, elegance and understanding of fashion sense. The dashboard and the interior trim of the doors are exquisite and smooth. The seats are deigned to provide a perfect sense of comfort, neither too hard nor too soft, and the steering wheel is highly responsive. The arrangement of the controls and the design of the seats are based on human body engineering principles, fully catering to the needs of urban consumers seeking high quality and comfort.
In terms of power, the vehicle comes equipped with a first ever deployed highly efficient small-displacement turbocharging serial engine, something in which GAC Motor has tremendous pride. The swift acceleration in no way compromises the vehicle's fuel efficiency, with high attention paid to manufacturing a car that produces little pollution while delivering excellent fuel economy. Of special note is the engine matched with a reliable and smooth 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox, ratcheting up the driver-friendliness of the car. As small-displacement turbocharging is becoming more prevalent, this power train is only the first step for GAC Motor as it engages with a new age of motoring that is expected to witness a wide range of new developments.
Safety is in no way overlooked: each GS4 comes installed with the firm's patented "GAC safe body structure" and the new generation Electronic Stability Program. As China's new and only member of the five-star safety family, the GS4 will provide consumers with comprehensive safety protection which is superior to that of other vehicles in the same class.
As for configuration, GAC Motor had limited its highest level of available configurations to its high-end Trumpchi model, however, with the GS4, the carmaker has taken the multiplicity and richness of available configurations to an even higher level, throwing a real challenge to the country's various Sino-foreign compact SUV joint ventures.
Trumpchi GS4 to take the lead in transforming the SUV market structure
The higher-than-the-average growth rate in the SUV segment has been a highly persuasive factor in encouraging most industry players to roll out SUV models as fast as they can get them off the production line, with the result that competition in the segment is expected become even fiercer. The fast selling pace of the Trumpchi GS4 and GS5 SUPER illustrates that quality is key to the success of the brand. It is becoming evident that the Trumpchi GS4 is on its way to assuming the role of a new compact SUV leader when its components and characteristics as a whole are taken into consideration.
Physically and technically the GS4 is, in all respects, very much a created-in-China, designed-in-China and made-in-China model - in all respects a "Chinese-proprietary" model. As GAC's first compact urban SUV, the GS4 is the company's chief product for expanding its SUV market share and increasing its SUV portfolio. The rollout of the model also confirms that the development of Chinese proprietary brands, represented by GAC, is paving the way for China's carmakers to join the league of international brands and to win the respect of the market through proprietary core technologies. Over the last several years, the Chinese vehicle market has experienced fast development, in tandem with the Chinese-proprietary brands. However, due to the absence of core technologies, these brands ended up at the lower end of the value chain. GAC's role in representing Chinese brands as a whole combined with the bold splash it is making at the most important auto show of the year is the carmaker's way of announcing to the world that it intends to be the leader rather than a follower. GAC has truly pulled out all the stops to assure its new role as an internationally competitive brand. With the duals firsts of being the sole Chinese presence at the NAIAS and of unveiling its new models for the first time at the show, GAC has attracted the attention of leading local media. Detroit Free Press reported that the GAC GS4 is an brand new model showcased by a Chinese manufacturer at the show for the first time in years, though GAC is not planning to roll out any new models in the American market for the foreseeable future. GAC's confidence in its international stature grew immensely as a result of its involvement in Transformers: Age of Extinction last year. The Boston Postreported positively on the automaker's three models (Witstar, GA6 and GS4) which were on display at the show and commented that the firm's presence at the show is a measure taken to speed up overseas expansion. Both the Examiner and the Huffington Post have been paying close attention to GAC's future overseas market development.
"GAC is gradually changing the prejudice held by the foreign media towards Chinese brands. The foreign media is, step by step, giving recognition to and accepting the originality of and the innovation behind the Chinese car model. The first release of the technically advanced GS4 at NAIAS demonstrates GAC's confidence in its proprietary strength and determination in its overseas market expansion." An industry insider expressed the opinion that following the reporting in foreign media is an objective way of observing the development of China-based carmakers. As an illustration, GAC's second time in attending NAIAS displays the confidence of Chinese car manufacturers in their products. China's automakers deeply care about the long-term prospects and their newfound place on the international stage.
