Aion UT and mystery SUV to extend Chinese newcomer’s range to three
Huge plug-in hybrid SUV will be fledgling brand’s flagship
Aion’s plans to compete in the UK market are coming into focus, because the newly launched Aion V will be followed by the UT electric hatchback and a massive, as yet unnamed, seven-seat plug-in hybrid SUV.
During our recent first drive of the Aion V (an all-electric SUV targeting the likes of the Skoda Elroq and Kia EV3), Aion showcased the UT and a large SUV, which is called the GAC S7 in China.
The company said the GAC S7 will have a different name when it goes on sale here in the UK – probably at the start of 2027. Audi already has the trademark rights to the S7 name, which the German company has already defended in other markets against Chinese company Nio, which makes the ES7.
Aion’s unnamed SUV is already on sale in China, but the company’s UK managing director Jon Wakefield said we’ll get a newly facelifted model here in the UK. In its current guise, the S7 comes with a turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine with either one or two electric motors, driving just the front wheels or all four. Power outputs range from 340bhp to 501bhp and, according to China’s CLTC testing scheme, it can travel between 71 and 127 miles on pure-electric power thanks to a massive 36.3kWh battery.
The SUV is 4.9 metres long and 1.8 metres tall, meaning there should be plenty of space inside to seat seven. It even dwarfs Chery’s flagship seven-seat plug-in hybrid SUV, the Tiggo 9 - which can be had with an average saving of £3,600 on the Auto Express Buy A Car service.
As for the UT, Aion’s rival to the Volkswagen ID.3 sits on the same AEP 3.0 chassis as the Aion V as well as the GAC-assembled Toyota bZ3X in China. Although its wheelbase is exactly the same as the V’s, the UT will get a smaller 60kWh battery (rather than the V’s 75.3kWh unit) to appeal to a different customer base. However, Aion did tell us there’s potential to fit these batteries in either car if there’s demand.
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