GAC Aion has taken the wraps off an all-new model series called Ray, and has teased the series’ first model, the Ray 7. The reveal came on July 28 – the brand’s founding anniversary – as the Guangzhou-based EV maker enters its tenth year, and it marks the start of what the company is calling a full brand renewal.
The Ray 7 is a mid-to-large electric sedan with a body length in the five-metre class, and Aion is pitching it squarely at young buyers – the official line is that it wants this to be the first “super electric sedan” of the young generation. Notably, it will be the first production model to wear Aion’s redesigned logo, an illuminated unit paired with double-layer LED light strips, marking a shift away from the brand’s previously rigid corporate look towards softer, minimalist lines.
Teaser images show a low, wide fastback silhouette with a ducktail spoiler, a full-width light bar up front echoed by another at the rear, pumped-up wheel arches and five-spoke alloys framing yellow-painted DriveQ brake calipers – hardware shared with the group’s premium Hyptec brand. A warm yellow hero colour, exclusive to the model, underlines the sporty intent, a marked departure from Aion’s traditionally family-oriented styling.
On the technical front, Aion says the Ray 7 debuts what it calls a “super chassis,” claimed to be the world’s first to integrate the drive and braking systems at chip level. By linking the two domains at the silicon layer, the company claims millisecond-level coordination between acceleration and braking, which should translate to smoother power delivery, more stable braking and more precise cornering.
The battery is supplied by CATL and incorporates Aion’s magazine battery safety technology, while an energy management system is claimed to deliver class-leading efficiency. Driver assistance is handled by a LiDAR-based system running algorithms derived from the same software stack as Aion’s Level 4 autonomous driving development.
That’s the extent of the disclosure for now – no power outputs, battery capacities, range figures, pricing or launch timing have been announced yet, although Hyptec-Aion business unit president Zhang Xiong has indicated the company intends to push prices in this segment downwards.
The positioning is easy enough to read. In China, the sporty mid-to-large EV sedan space aimed at younger buyers is currently defined by the Xiaomi SU7 – priced from 215,900 yuan (approximately RM128k) at home – along with newer entrants such as the Shangjie Z7 from Huawei and SAIC’s joint brand. These are the benchmarks Aion is gunning for, and it needs the win. After years as one of China’s top-selling EV brands – built largely on affordable, family- and fleet-focused models – Aion’s deliveries slumped 22.6% to 290,081 units in 2025.
The recovery is underway, with 181,579 units delivered in the first half of 2026, up 67.1% year-on-year, and the Ray series is intended to keep that momentum going by finally giving the brand credibility with younger private buyers. It follows the merger of the Aion and Hyptec operations into a single business unit last year, a move made to reduce internal overlap.
Is Ray a China play, or will there be exports and RHD?
So, will it be exported, and will there be a right-hand-drive version? Nothing has been confirmed for the Ray 7 on either front – as launched, this is a China-market play. That said, the infrastructure is in place should GAC decide to take Ray global: Aion’s plant in Rayong, Thailand – its first outside China – is designated as a manufacturing and export hub for RHD markets, it assembles cars in Indonesia with Indomobil, and the brand is entering the UK this year with the Aion V and UT through its Jameel Motors joint venture.
The pattern so far, however, is that only Aion’s value-focused global models (Y Plus, ES, V, UT and the Hyptec HT) have made the RHD jump, so a youth-market halo sedan going overseas would be new territory.
Closer to home, Aion has been present in Malaysia since 2024 under WTC Automotif (WTCA) of the Tan Chong group, with the ES sedan priced at RM106,800 and the Y Plus from RM119,800. The Aion V and Hyptec HT were previewed at the Malaysia Autoshow 2025 but news of official Malaysian pricing or launch for both has yet to be announced at the time of writing.
Even if an RHD Ray 7 does materialise, the route into Malaysia has narrowed considerably. Under MITI’s new rules effective July 1, 2026, all CBU EV imports must carry a minimum CIF value of RM200,000 and a minimum output of 180 kW (245 PS) – the latter a figure a big electric sedan like this would likely clear with ease, but the CIF floor pushes the effective showroom price of any compliant import to around RM300,000 once duties and SST are stacked on.
The realistic path, then, is local assembly – and the groundwork exists. GAC and Tan Chong already build the GS3 Emzoom and Emkoo at the Segambut plant, which recently began exporting left-hand-drive Emzooms to Vietnam, and WTCA has said CKD “New Energy Vehicles” are coming soon.
Whether the Ray 7 could ever be part of those plans is another question entirely, but with Xiaomi targeting a global RHD rollout from 2027 – and already recruiting for a government relations role in Malaysia – the China youth-EV battle the Ray 7 was built for may well replay itself in our market before long.
What do you think of Aion’s new direction – would a sporty five-metre EV sedan from the brand tempt you if the price was right? Share your thoughts in the comments.
