After lying low for half a year, Aion is eager for a complete transformation.

As the in - depth integration of the group enters a new stage, the first half of this year has been another historic moment under the leadership of the new management team for each segment of GAC Group.

Both GAC Toyota and GAC Honda have continued their "localization in China". The launch of the Bozhi 3X and P7, regardless of the outcome, bears strong local imprints. Creating electric vehicles suitable for Chinese users has become an important issue for the two Japanese joint - venture companies to seek new growth.

GAC Trumpchi, the main body of GAC's passenger vehicle business, has chosen to step out of its comfort zone in the MPV market. It attempts to further refine its brand with the high - value attributes of its "desirable models". The successive launches of the S7 and M8 Qiankun are the best evidence.

In GAC's new energy vehicle segment, Hyper has completely separated from Aion. Their parallel operation has, on one hand, allocated the technological reserves of GAC Research Institute to the two brands to the greatest extent. On the other hand, the separate development of their product portfolios has provided more room for the development of GAC's self - owned brand business.

Generally speaking, in the current era, the new energy vehicle market is evolving at a high speed, and consumer trends are moving in the same direction. Aion plays a crucial role within the group. "Linking the past and the future" is what Aion must achieve in 2025, which means that Aion's reform is more concrete than what the outside world expects of GAC.

The market competition in the second half of the year will surely be fiercer. After the twists and turns in the first half of the year, we need to see more directly the implementation of practical plans for Aion.

Influenced by the efforts Chairman Feng Xingya has put into the self - owned brand segment, "sales recovery" will only be a small indicator to measure Aion's future development. Facing the price cuts of numerous competitors, Aion needs a systematic defense and offense strategy, rather than passive follow - up.

Slowing down is the best adjustment to see the future clearly

Different from the past, the new energy vehicle market this year has indeed shown some new features. The re - exploration of the pure - electric technology path by domestic and foreign automakers and the slowdown in the promotion of pure - electric vehicles among consumers have set a tone for the development of new energy vehicles in 2025 with some characteristics of fuel - powered vehicles. That is to say, with the shift in technology, new vehicles featuring plug - in hybrid and range - extender technologies have increasingly become the main force driving the development of the entire new energy vehicle market.

The trend led by Li Auto and Wenjie has not only swept the high - end SUV market. Mainstream self - owned automakers such as BYD, Geely, and Chery have frequently extended their hybrid vehicle offerings to the 100,000 - 200,000 yuan price range. Aion, which mainly focuses on pure - electric vehicles, is destined to come up with new countermeasures in this new battle.

We have also noticed the slowdown in the growth of the pure - electric vehicle market from January to June this year. Aion's previously "outstanding" situation has inevitably been impacted.

According to official data, Aion's cumulative sales in the first half of the year were 152,264 vehicles. Considering the production and sales situation in the group's financial report, it is clear that Aion has been affected by the general environment while holding its ground.

When GAC Group announced the separation of Hyper from Aion, we always thought that Aion could concentrate its resources on major tasks. However, in fact, the organizational adjustment and strategic reshaping that the group has been carrying out for most of the year are not yet fully completed. At a time when the group's management team is not fully in place and Gu Huinan has retired, the issues facing Aion will take some time to be completely resolved.

Moreover, as mentioned earlier, the current situation of the entire pure - electric vehicle market is restricted by objective factors that no single enterprise can freely change. Looking at the entire industry, among pure - electric vehicle manufacturers, except for a few surviving new - energy vehicle startups, traditional automakers' brands such as Zeekr and ARCFOX have not outperformed the overall growth rate of the new energy vehicle market in the first half of the year.

Therefore, if we have to summarize Aion's performance in the past six months, the fluctuations in its market performance are basically the combined result of the group's integration and the changes in the vehicle market environment. On the other hand, due to the brand's limited market reach and overly "affordable" product positioning, the extreme impacts of price wars and marketing wars on Aion cannot be ignored.

Since the start of the price war, we have to admit that in the current situation where it is getting harder to make profits, consumers are the ultimate beneficiaries of automakers' price cuts. However, this has led to a situation where when a large number of automakers have lowered the prices of various new energy vehicles below 150,000 yuan, companies in the market either have to follow suit or give up market share.

Similarly, as the marketing war around intelligent equality has intensified after the Spring Festival, the difficulty of attracting potential customers has increased exponentially. Aion thought that the promotion of intelligent equality that started last year could take effect. However, the government's sudden halt of relevant marketing methods has forced every automaker that chose this approach to hit the brakes.

To put it simply, under the intertwining of multiple factors, 2025 poses challenges to Aion similar to those at the beginning of its establishment. As onlookers, when we saw Aion rise from scratch to rank among the top three in the pure - electric vehicle market, with annual sales approaching 500,000 vehicles and showing a trend towards IPO, we often thought that Aion had the qualities of a doer.

Now, with the intensification of market competition, it is inevitable that Aion is facing the biggest challenge since its establishment. After the ups and downs in the past six months, we just hope that Aion can complete its brand restructuring as soon as possible and contribute to the "Panyu Action" promoted by the entire group.

Building a solid foundation, turning the tables is just a matter of time

In November last year, under the planning of the new chairman Feng Xingya, GAC Group officially launched the three - year "Panyu Action" plan, clearly defining the goals for the comprehensive reform of its self - owned brands. Through four major reform measures and five safeguards, this action aims to achieve self - owned brand sales accounting for more than 60% of the group's total sales by 2027, with a challenge target of 2 million self - owned brand vehicle sales.

Under such goals, everyone in Aion is well aware of the heavy responsibility on their shoulders. The market results in the first half of the year have once again proven that whether it is at the product level or the strategic direction, Aion will face a tough battle in the next six months.

In the first half of the year, after the launch of the AION UT, Aion's eagerness for sales was obvious. Regardless of whether the AION V would be affected by the new models from the same group, in the face of the demand in the entry - level pure - electric vehicle market, the AION UT aimed to snatch some customers from Geely Xingyuan and BYD Seagull/Dolphin.

Unfortunately, Aion is facing disadvantages in distribution channels and limitations in brand influence. There is still a long way to go to increase sales through the AION UT.

Mid - year, Feng Xingya revealed that in the second half of this year, GAC Aion will fully launch a strategy to separate its B - end and C - end brands. A new brand will be established for the B - end, focusing on the operating markets such as taxis and ride - hailing services. This move is regarded as a key part of the "Panyu Action" and an important step in GAC's effort to restructure its self - owned brand system.

Does this mean that Aion's biggest shortcoming, the solidification of its brand image, will be improved? If everything goes smoothly, the answer is definitely yes.

Compared with its peers, Aion is not a company that relies on market dividends. In terms of core technologies, GAC Research Institute has provided it with strong support. With the diversified evolution of vehicle platforms, independent control of the three - electric systems, and the practical implementation of intelligent configurations, Aion has almost all the new - technology - related projects of the group at its disposal.

Once the brand image is renewed, the value return of Aion's entire product line will be its greatest advantage for consumers.

Furthermore, with the independence of Hyper, in the second half of the year, the fully upgraded Hyper GT, the first high - end luxury sedan of the Hyper brand, the Hyper SSR Track Edition, and the Hyper HT Range - Extender Edition will be successively launched. As GAC's upward - development of new energy vehicle business is fully entrusted to Hyper, Aion, with more focused resources, should be able to find a path of continuous improvement from the adjustments in the first half of the year.

Obviously, through in - depth adjustments in the first half of the year, Aion is ready for the sales competition in the domestic market. It all depends on the level of implementation in the second half of the year.

On the other hand, as Gu Huinan predicted a year ago, "Aion is formulating a global strategy for the European, South American, and Middle Eastern markets. In the next two or three years, it will establish industrial bases in these countries."

Since the group is determined to promote the all - around development of its self - owned brand business, Aion is bound to come up with more specific export plans in 2025.

In the first half of this year, GAC International introduced four new models overseas, completed market access in seven countries and regions, added 92 new sales outlets, and comprehensively promoted the KD production layout. The "Thailand Action", "Brazil Action", "Ethiopia Action", and "Hong Kong Action" were successively carried out. KD models in Indonesia and Malaysia were put into production on schedule, and the European KD project is progressing steadily, resulting in a 45.8% year - on - year increase in cumulative exports.

It can be seen that as the core force of GAC's overseas exports, Aion still has many opportunities.

Indeed, as the market potential is continuously being tapped, the short - term fluctuations in sales have made Aion feel the chill in the Chinese vehicle market and notice the trend of consumers being led by marketing campaigns. However, as the old saying goes, "Those who act will surely succeed, and those who persevere will surely reach their goals." With the attitude of "the brave fear nothing, and the strong are fearless", the ups and downs in the first half of 2025 for Aion are laying the groundwork for a better leap forward.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Automobile Commune" (ID: iAUTO2010), author: Cao Jiadong, published by 36Kr with authorization.