Aion is latest Chinese brand to target the UK

LONG Range, fast charging, generous space, competitive prices new Chinese brand Aion reckons its V electric SUV will edge the showroom Top Trumps when it's launched in spring 2026.

- Phil McNamara

The V is a 4.6m-long SUV that should hit 317 miles of range on the WLTP test cycle. And when the 75kWh battery is drained, 180kW peak DC charging refuels it from 10 to 80 per cent in a claimed 24 minutes. Of similar Chinese rivals, only the Smart #5 and long-range XPeng G6 can match this, although the Aion V - priced “in the mid-£30,000s” - may be a bit cheaper.

Aion is the electrified brand of GAC, or Guangzhou Automobile, which is owned by the Chinese state. It’s set up a UK joint venture with Saudi Arabian company Jameel Motors – which distributes Toyota and Lexus cars in the Middle East, and electric vans from Farizon in Britain – to bring Aion cars here, starting with the V and the UT hatch.