Gac group cracks down on corruption with aion company executive reshuffle

Since the beginning of the year, GAC Group and its independent passenger car division have launched a wave of reforms, from drastic adjustments in organizational structure to the global recruitment of marketing talents, all of which demonstrate their determination for change. However, these frequent personnel changes and organizational reshaping have not quickly translated into a recovery in sales, as the sales data of the Trumpchi, Aion, and Hyper brands continue to show a downward trend.

On the last day of 2024, an official document titled "GAC Group Organizational Structure Adjustment Plan" emerged, announcing that from the New Year's Day, the marketing sectors of Trumpchi and Aion will undergo deep integration. Three major brand marketing departments will be established, with interim heads appointed for each (for details, refer to "Year-end Talk | GAC Group's 'Bold' Organizational Structure Adjustment Aiming for 2 Million Units in Annual Sales for Independent Brands").

With profound changes in its organizational structure, GAC Group has also started its global recruitment drive. At the end of July, a piece of news attracted widespread attention: Ao Zhiyi and Yin Shuang were appointed as Chief Marketing Officers of the Trumpchi and Hyper brands, respectively. Since both individuals came from Jiyue Auto, which had annual sales of less than 10,000 units and has already ceased operations, this appointment sparked considerable controversy in the industry.

In September, GAC Group once again released recruitment information for executive positions, including General Manager, Chief Accountant, and several Deputy General Manager positions, demonstrating its ambition to attract talented individuals.

While actively recruiting new talent, GAC Group is also undergoing strict internal restructuring. Recently, multiple media outlets reported that Yang Long, the former head of GAC Mitsubishi, has taken over from Xiao Yong as the vice president of GAC Aion and the head of the marketing division. According to Lan Jing News, this personnel change is closely linked to the middle-level cadre competition system being promoted by the three major independent brands.

Just last week, the retired former general manager of GAC Motor, Zhang Yuesai, was taken away for investigation. Zhang Yuesai joined Guangzhou Peugeot in 1988 and held several important positions at Guangzhou Honda, Guangzhou Toyota, GAC Changfeng, and GAC Mitsubishi. In 2019, he became the general manager of GAC Motor, and before his retirement, he was a member of the Executive Committee of GAC Group and the Director of the Independent Brand Management Committee.

The deep transformation undertaken by independent brands is driven by sales targets and is also under immense pressure due to declining sales. According to the production and sales report released by GAC Group, in the first eight months of this year, GAC Trumpchi's cumulative sales were 197,014 vehicles, a year-on-year decrease of 18.66%; GAC Aion's cumulative sales were 154,119 vehicles, down 17.31% year-on-year. Additionally, according to data from Yiche.com, GAC Haobo's cumulative sales in the first eight months of this year amounted to only 8,992 vehicles, placing it in a low position on the brand sales rankings.

Looking ahead to 2025, GAC Trumpchi will accelerate the integration of operations and the optimization of its product structure, fully deploying mainstream new energy power forms such as range extenders, plug-in hybrids, and pure electric vehicles. At the same time, GAC Trumpchi will expedite its deep integration with Huawei Technologies. Models such as the Trumpchi Xiangwang M8 Qian Kun, as well as large luxury flagship MPVs, SUVs, and sedans, will be equipped with Huawei's HarmonyOS cockpit and Qian Kun intelligent driving technology, providing users with a more intelligent travel experience.

GAC Aion, having long focused on the low-end ride-hailing market, struggled to elevate its brand positioning. The "ride-hailing" label led to neglect in the consumer market, and with the B2B market nearing saturation, sales experienced a sharp decline. Although Aion attempted to reverse the situation by launching new models, sales still did not meet expectations. After adjusting its brand strategy, Aion has now launched a product lineup including the Tyrannosaurus, RT, and UT for consumer users, while simultaneously implementing an overseas expansion strategy. The goal is to increase the proportion of sales to private users to 75% by 2025.

As for GAC Aion, it also faces the challenge of deep integration. Since its launch in September 2022, its market performance has consistently fallen short of expectations. The brand's positioning has undergone multiple adjustments but has yet to establish a distinctive brand language. Insufficient product competitiveness has resulted in sales that have yet to get on track.