GAC made headlines at the 2022 Guangzhou Auto Show by revealing the brand-new Aion Hyper GT. The four-door grand tourer sits on a new EV-dedicated architecture and features sexy styling with clever solutions making it “the world’s lowest wind resistance production car”. It is also the second production model in the “Hyper” lineup following the Aion Hyper SSR supercar.
The designers in GAC’s R&D center say they were inspired by a water drop shaped by the wind, which is a cliche in the automotive industry, but at least in this case had some positive results. As for the surfacing, they claim it looks like “liquid metal”. The team used findings from the TIME and ENO.146 concepts which helped them achieve an impressive drag coefficient of 0.19 cd in the production-spec Aion Hyper GT.
This figure allows GAC to brag that their latest EV is the most aerodynamic production car in the world – at least for now. Indeed, the Aion Hyper GT has less drag than the Mercedes-Benz EQS (0.20 cd), the Tesla Model S (0.208 cd), and the Lucid Air (0.21 cd). However, we must note that it is not as slippery as the long-discontinued low-volume VW XL1 (Cd 0.189) and also loses the battle to the upcoming Lightyear 0 (0.175 cd).
Read: The GAC Aion Hyper SSR Is China’s First Street-Legal Electric Supercar And It Can Do 0-60 In 1.9-Sec
In terms of styling, the Aion Hyper GT looks just as good in real life as in the preview sketches published a few days ago. It is characterized by a low-slung silhouette, coming with a long wheelbase, short overhangs, and cool-looking 19-inch wheels. We don’t have the dimensions of the model but it appears to have a compact footprint, probably closer to the Tesla Model 3 than to the Model S.
At the front, the Aion Hyper GT adopts a grille-less look in the fully-enclosed fascia. The “Wind Blade Grille” which is just a fancy name for the lower bumper intake opens up at a certain speed in order to reduce drag. Active aerodynamics can also be found at the back, where a Porsche Panamera-style rear wing deploys automatically at speeds over 80 km/h (50 mph).
The “electrode headlights” look like a more beautiful and refined version of the ones in the Tesla Model 3, and feature pulse LED graphics. The same applies to the “red crystal taillights” with an elongated shape reminiscent of Acura. One of the main highlights of the concept is the Sky Doors at the front, which open upwards thanks to a “dihedral synchro-helix actuation technology”. Rear passengers though are treated with conventional doors.
The Aion Hyper GT comes equipped with a large number of sensors including cameras, radars, LiDAR, and infrared technology. The hardware is mounted on the front bumper, roof, mirrors, and fenders, hinting at a sophisticated ADAS package, at least in the higher-spec trims.
We don’t have many photos of the interior but from the glass roof which beautifully merges with the greenhouse under the floating pillars, we can see a large infotainment screen on the dashboard, a digital instrument cluster, and a five-seater configuration. The Aion Hyper GT that premiered at the Guangzhou Auto Show looked like a finished product that is ready for production, and the open doors suggest we might get detailed shots of the cabin very soon.
The model is based on the new AEP3.0 EV-dedicated architecture and is expected to be available with single and dual electric motors. GAC said that the single rear-mounted motor produces 335 hp (250 kW / 340 PS) and 434 Nm (320 lb-ft) of torque, allowing a 0-100 km/h (0-60 mph) sprint in the 4-second range. The battery pack of unknown capacity is said to be compatible with ultra-fast charging rates of up to 480kW, and battery-swapping technology.
We expect to learn more about the Aion Hyper GT including its performance, range figures, interior technology, and launch date sometime in the near future. Hopefully, the model will be available in other markets outside China as a legit competitor to the Tesla Model 3. Pricing has not been disclosed but if the rumors are true, the Hyper GT could start from around ¥300,000 (equal to $43,487 with the current exchange rates).
