GAC Aion adds new trim to Aion Y Plus, drops price by 17%

The new Aion Y Plus starts at RMB 99,800, RMB 20,000 lower than the previous entry-level price. (Image credit: CnEVPost) GAC Aion, the electric vehicle (EV) subsidiary of GAC Group, has added a new version of its Aion Y Plus SUV, bringing the starting price down significantly in an on-going fierce price war. The entry-level Aion Y Plus starts at RMB 99,800, which GAC Aion said in a poster on Weibo today is the price-setter for battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The starting price of the new Aion Y Plus has been reduced by RMB 20,000, or 16.69 percent, from the model's previous starting price of RMB 119,800 yuan. The Aion Y Plus measures 4,535 mm, 1,870 mm and 1,650 mm in length, width and height, respectively, and has a wheelbase of 2,750 mm. One of the versions has a slightly different height of 1,756 mm. The new, lower-priced version is identical in core specifications to the RMB 119,800 previous entry-level version, but comes with a smaller-capacity battery pack of 37.9 kWh, which delivers a combined range of 310 kilometers. The RMB 119,800 version comes with a 51.9-kWh capacity battery pack that provides a combined range of 430 kilometers. In addition to the two lowest priced ones, the Aion Y Plus comes in 12 other variants with a starting price range of RMB 126,800 to RMB 189,800 and range options of 510 kilometers and 610 kilometers. GAC Aion is the latest to react to the intense car price competition following the Chinese New Year holiday. On February 19 -- the second working day after China's Chinese New Year holiday -- BYD (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) began its latest round of model updates with the launch of the Qin Plus Glory Edition as well as the Chaser 05 Glory Edition, which brought the starting prices down significantly. To date, BYDDY has updated a number of other models including the Dolphin, Han, and Tang, all of which have allowed for significant price reductions. GAC Aion sold 16,676 units in February, down 44.57 percent year-on-year and down 33.15 percent from January, according to data it released on March 1. BYD launches updated Song Pro DM-i with $2,780 price cut ($1 = RMB 7.1968)