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GAC announces “Go And Change” Campaign

GAC announces “Go And Change” Campaign

Alvin Uy

GAC Motors just launched its “Go And Change Campaign” that aptly uses its brand acronym and how the brand intends to position itself with its new strategic direction of focusing on the technology and constantly improving craftsmanship. As one of the news brands in the local automotive scene, Legado Motors, Inc. the official distributor of GAC Motor vehicles came into the market at the cusp of Chinese automotive brands breaking out with more choices and gaining more acceptance. 

“Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (GAC Motor) is one of the top-ranking auto brands in China. Since its inception in 1997, GAC Motor worked deliberately to improve its expertise in car manufacturing and became experts in producing quality, safe, durable, and innovative vehicles,”

Wilbert Lim, Legado’s president and CEO

GAC initiated its QDR (high Quality, high Durability, and high Reliability) Project that established four research and development centers (R&D Centers) at the Silicon Valley, Los Angeles City, Detroit, and Shanghai. These R&D Centers are responsible for the choice of premium materials and the technology used in the manufacturing of GAC vehicles. GAC also funded several R&D Centers across the globe to develop artificial intelligence systems; autonomous, hybrid, and pure electric vehicles, with a strong push towards electrification as it laid out plans on developing a line-up of electrified vehicles in the coming years.

The plants and R&D facilities of Legado Motors can be considered world class with its design team headed by Fan Zhang. Zhang studied industrial design in Shanghai, and joined an international design competition in 2002 where he won Best Branding and Mercedes-Benz’s deputy design director Murat Gunak took notice of him and invited him to be part of his team in Sindelfingen. He left Mercedes-Benz and joined GAC in 2011.

2018 was a breakout year for the brand, as Lim shared that when GAC Motor officially launched its full vehicle line-up — the GA4, GS3, GS8, and the GN8, it had achieved a total of 17,000 unit sales after the official launch, and a total of 535,000 units sold that year. “Due to its aggressiveness and efforts, GAC Motor’s production and sales exceeded 2 million with a positive year-on-year growth, making GAC as one of the fastest growing brands in China. To strengthen the brand’s presence, GAC Motor opened distributorships and dealerships across the 26 countries of the regions of Middle East, South Africa, and Southeast Asia,” he added. 

On the local front, GAC Motor Philippines had its official inauguration on November 7, 2018 with no less than President Rodrigo Duterte as the main guest of honor who unveiled its vehicle line-up – the GA4, GA8, GS8, GS4, and the GN8. The following day it opened its flagship showroom, the GAC Motor Metrowalk, Pasig to the public. GAC held its brand debut at the 2019 Manila International Autoshow (MIAS) in World Trade Center on April that year. On February 26th 2019, it opened its second dealership in San Fernando, Pampanga. The third dealership open on July 26th, 2019 and it opened its fourth dealership in Greenhills, San Juan on October 26th, 2020. It plans to open two more dealerships this year and two more before mid-2022. 

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It also joined the 2019 Petron Kalayaan Cup on June 12th, bagging its first Endurance race championship with a stock GA4 sedan on its maiden effort. The newly formed GAC Motor Racing Team also won the Open Class B and Manufacturer’s Class in the 2019 Petron Bonifacio Cup Endurance Race held on November 30th that year.  These two events have proven that GAC vehicles exceed reliability and performance standards of real life road conditions by being subjected to punishing conditions of a 12-hour endurance race. The GAC team successfully concluded its third race campaign by bagging awards at the 2021 Petron Kalayaan and Kagitingan Endurance Cup on June 12, 2021. The race team is preparing for another race this coming November 3oth for its second participation at the Bonifacio Cup. GAC came up with a Champion’s Deals promo in celebration of its recent triumphs by offering up to P270,000 discounts on its vehicle models. The promo will run from August to September 30th.

Despite the pandemic 2021 was a busy year for the brand. It officially launched the all-new GN6 MPV February 26th and will be launching three new vehicle editions in the Philippines — the all-new GS4, the bulletproof GS8, and the GN8 Master’s Edition. To stay connected with its customers, it has also revamped its website and launched the GAC Motor virtual showroom, offering all-in-one dealership service.