An unexpected later-year entrant into the Malaysian automotive market, the GAC brand has made its official local debut with the launch of the GS3, a B-segment SUV in a newly face-lifted guise that takes direct aim at the Proton X50, Honda HR-V, and all the rest.
If you’ve not yet heard of GAC, that acronym breaks down – at least roughly – to Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd, which have gained some recognition with their Trumpchi brand of cars. As you might guess, they’re based in the capital and largest city in the Guangdong province.
Local distribution in Malaysia is handled by Warisan Tan Chong Automotif (WTCA) with the GS3 arriving fully imported from China in 2 variants with a starting price of RM88,800 (OTR without insurance) in baseline Standard trim. However, moving up to the GS3 Premium will set you back RM96,800.
Both variants share identical mechanicals with power coming solely from a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine that delivers 114PS at 6,000rpm and 150Nm and 4,500rpm, driving the front wheels through a 6-speed automatic sourced from Aisin. GAC quotes an average fuel consumption figure of 6.9-litres/100km.
The first thing to notice about the GS3 is that large full-length grille upfront. Both the Standard and Premium use the same 17-inch alloy wheels but the latter is differentiated visually by its front fog lamps, two-tone (contrasting black accents) body colour, roof rails, and black folding mirror caps. Its colour options are a little narrow with only four shades available: Lunar Grey, Ivory White, Starlight Silver, and Rosefinch Red.
Each unit will arrive equipped with a power sunroof, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Apple CarPlay connectivity, and partly leatherette upholstery but other than that, the higher-spec GS3 also gains full leatherette seats and interior trim, keyless entry and start, and a 3.5-inch multi-function instrument display. Meanwhile, at the rear, there are 356-litres of cargo space.
Choosing the more expensive Premium will also gain you an additional two airbags, taking the total to 6. While it does lack the full complement of active safety features with the exception of Blind Spot Monitoring, it does have anti-lock brakes, a reversing camera, ISOFIX anchor points, electronic stability control, brake assist, hill start assist, hill descent control, and passive cruise control.
Finally, the GS3 comes with a 5-year/100,000km manufacturer’s warranty with free labour charge for the first five scheduled services (applicable within 100,000km or 3 years, whichever comes first). The first GAC showroom has now opened at Lot 72, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah in Kuala Lumpur with more locations coming soon for both the Klang Valley and beyond.
It’ll be interesting to see how Malaysian buyers respond to newcomer brand GAC and if the GS3 can sway them away from established rivals in the very competitive B-segment SUV space, especially as it has wedged itself in terms of pricing between the Perodua Ativa and Proton X50 while not exactly making a strong case for itself on paper.
Still, the WTCA might have something else in mind to gain customers into the fold. And with the GS3 laying the groundwork, there might be even more GAC models just around the corner.
Keyword: GAC Motor Tackles Malaysia With Launch Of B-Segment GS3