Chinese carmaker GAC arrives this month on Australian shores with two SUVs and a minivan, but it already has its sights set firmly on one of the country’s most lucrative segments: dual-cab utes.
Having revealed the brutalist, futuristic “PICKUP 01” concept at the 2025 Auto Shanghai motor show, development of the GAC ute is rapidly progressing towards what Chinese media has reported will be a 2027 release date.
Pictured: Forthcoming GAC M8 plug-in hybrid MPV
Now, GAC’s most senior executive for non-China markets has confirmed that the ute will utilise a plug-in hybrid powertrain, and it will be backed with a petrol — not diesel — engine.
“At the Shanghai Auto Show in April this year, GAC Group showed a hybrid pick-up as a concept car. We are making some preparations in this regard,” said Wayne Wei, president of GAC International — the division of the company that includes 84 non-China markets.
“We have some research about the possibilities of introducing a ‘new energy’ pick-up into the Australian market, to study Australian customer demands and how to define the product,” Wei revealed.
Pictured: GAC PICKUP 01 concept ute
Chinese brands typically refer to partial and fully-electrified vehicles as ‘new energy’ — as opposed to pure combustion.
Plug-in hybrid powertrain favoured for GAC ute
Wei, who has executive oversight over GAC in the Australian market, confirmed that the carmaker sees hybrid powertrains as the right fit for the ute and large SUV segments because customers can choose to run in electric or fuel-powered modes.
“Our research has shown that for large-size cars, for example pick-ups and SUVs, maybe the plug-in hybrid is a good choice.”
Pictured: Forthcoming GAC Aion V medium electric SUV
Quizzed about whether a pick-up is something GAC needs in Australia, Wei agreed: “you are right.”
GAC sees the pick-up segment as a growth opportunity. Despite dual-cabs accounting for only around one percent of China’s new car market (still a sizeable 400,000 units), approximately six million pick-ups are sold globally each year.
Chasing Cars understands that Australia, the Middle East, South America and Mexico will be the target markets for the production version of the GAC ute.
Pictured: BYD Shark 6 Premium
Locally, the BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute has established itself strongly in the dual-cab segment this year, with more than 15,000 deliveries to the end of October representing an 8.5 percent market share.
PICKUP 01 concept provides hints for production GAC ute
Cosmetically, the ute was foreshadowed by the PICKUP 01 concept, which — like the Tesla Cybertruck — has a stainless steel exoskeleton.
While the eventual production GAC ute may be pared-back compared to the concept, the Guangzhou-based carmaker has foreshadowed that the pick-up will be a premium contender rather than a work truck.
Pictured: Forthcoming GAC Emzoom small SUV
The concept, which is said to sit on the GAC Adaptive Intelligent Architecture (GAIA platform) has camera-informed ‘intelligent’ adaptive suspension, a PHEV system and a reported 12,000Nm of torque available at the wheels.
