Guangtong Auto is a Chinese new energy bus and commercial vehicle brand, affiliated with Gree Titanium New Energy Co., Ltd. The brand’s operating entity, Zhuhai Guangtong Auto Co., Ltd., was officially established in 2002. Headquartered in the Sanzao Technology Industrial Park in Jinwan District, Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, it has a total investment of 480 million RMB and covers a land area of 128,000 square metres. The brand’s predecessor was Guangtong Auto, founded in 1999, which started by manufacturing mid-size buses and later developed into a high-tech enterprise integrating the research and development, manufacturing, and sales of new energy buses and high-end luxury coaches. The company has fully realised a specialised and scaled bus R&D and manufacturing model, with an annual production capacity of 6,000 vehicles across various bus types.
Gree Electric Appliances completed the acquisition of Yinlong New Energy Co., Ltd. in 2021. Subsequently, Yinlong New Energy was renamed Gree Titanium New Energy Co., Ltd., and Guangtong Auto was officially incorporated into Gree’s automotive business portfolio. Currently, Guangtong Auto and Aoti Storage jointly constitute the two core brands under Gree Titanium, with headquarters in Zhuhai and industrial parks established in Handan, Shijiazhuang, Chengdu, Tianjin, Nanjing, Luoyang, Lanzhou, and other locations.
The brand logo consists of five interlinked hollow circles forming a flower shape, also known as the ‘Plum Blossom’, symbolising the brand’s development towards a positive and promising direction.
The origins of Guangtong Auto can be traced back to 1999. On 30 August 1999, Zhuhai Guangtong Holding Co., Ltd. was founded by its creator, Luo Zhihui. Its predecessor was a state-owned bus manufacturer named Shaoguan Car Factory, which initially focused on manufacturing mid-size buses. In October 1999, the company was officially renamed Guangtong Auto. In March 2000, the first new mid-size bus prototype independently developed by the company was produced, achieving sales of over 100 units that year. In February 2002, the company relocated to the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone, initiating its transformation from a single manufacturing enterprise into a comprehensive group. Zhuhai Guangtong Auto Co., Ltd. was formally registered and established on 13 November of the same year, with a registered capital of 40 million RMB and Jiang Daiwei as the legal representative.
In 2003, Guangtong Auto established an overseas division to fully expand into international markets. In 2005, it passed EU certification, becoming the first Chinese independent bus brand to obtain this certification, and established a long-term cooperative relationship with the Italian bus manufacturer Tomassini. In 2006, the company supplied 300 LNG city buses to Zhanjiang Bus Company in its first batch, becoming the first domestic enterprise to mass-produce LNG city buses. It also served as a co-organiser of the National 11th Five-Year Plan’s 863 Energy Saving and Emission Reduction Project. Starting in 2007, the company began assembling and producing Alexander Dennis double-decker buses for Hong Kong KMB, the world’s largest bus transport company, gradually developing into the sole processor for this partner in Asia.
In 2011, Guangtong Auto became the first enterprise in China to obtain EU certification for 12-metre pure electric buses. Thereafter, the company successively established Zhuhai Guangtong Investment Development Co., Ltd., Zhuhai Pengyu Automobile Co., Ltd., and Zhuhai Guangtong Aluminum Co., Ltd., continuing to expand its business scope. Between 2012 and 2013, Yinlong New Energy successively acquired Zhuhai Guangtong Auto and Shijiazhuang Zhongbo Auto. Guangtong Auto was formally incorporated into the Yinlong system, obtaining a complete industrial closed loop from vehicle manufacturing to key components such as batteries, motors, and electronic controls.
In 2016, Dong Mingzhu jointly increased capital investment in Yinlong with Wanda Group, CIMC Group, and others, acquiring a 7.46% equity stake in Yinlong with a personal investment of about 1 billion RMB. In 2021, Gree Electric Appliances acquired a 30.47% equity stake in Yinlong for 1.828 billion RMB, becoming the controlling shareholder, and renamed the entity Gree Titanium New Energy Co., Ltd. Entering the mid-2020s, Guangtong Auto continued to participate in transportation security for major national events such as the Beijing Winter Olympics and accelerated its layout in overseas markets such as Central and West Asia.
Guangtong Auto has established a new energy commercial vehicle product system covering multiple levels and scenarios. Its products are popular in the domestic market and have been exported to more than 30 countries and regions, including Italy, Germany, Malaysia, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Macau.
New Energy City Bus Series: This is the most representative product line of Guangtong Auto. It covers multiple models of pure electric city buses, including the GTQ6105BEVB32, GTQ6103BEVBT3, GTQ6800BEVB32, and GTQ6126BEVB30. Among these, the GTQ6103BEVBT3 is equipped with a lithium titanate battery and a permanent magnet synchronous motor, with a rated power of 100 kW and a peak power of 200 kW. The vehicle length is 10,490 mm, with a passenger capacity of 81. The GTQ6126BEVB30 is the Gree Titanium non-fast-charging model first purchased by Zhuhai Bus. In early products, the rear of the 12-metre classic pure electric bus manufactured by Yinlong in 2016 bore the words ‘Gree Yinlong’ and the slogan ‘Make the world fall in love with Chinese manufacturing’.
New Energy Highway and Tourist Bus: Developed specifically for long-distance passenger transport and tourism scenarios, this range includes models conforming to EU standards such as the GTK6105A/6130A series and the GTK6125BEVA. Double-decker buses produced by Guangtong Auto have occupied more than 85% of the Hong Kong bus market, and products have also been exported to more than 30 countries and regions, including Italy, Algeria, and Iran.
All-Aluminium Body Double-Decker Bus: Guangtong Auto is the only enterprise in China to fully master the all-aluminium body process and double-decker bus manufacturing technology. Its high-end double-decker buses serve major bus operators such as Hong Kong KMB, New World First Bus, and Citybus.
Extended-Range Electric Midibus: In 2025, Zhuhai Guangtong Vehicle Manufacturing Co., Ltd. launched the GTK6750EREVB extended-range electric midibus. Adopting LPG extended-range technology, it offers a range of 380 kilometres.
Guangtong Aifei (Business MPV): This is the only business MPV product under the brand and the first business vehicle launched after the brand’s acquisition. The vehicle borrows design elements from the Toyota Alphard and is equipped with Yinlong’s independently developed lithium titanate battery technology. Driven by a 100 kW electric motor, it has a range of 200 km. Benefiting from the characteristics of lithium titanate batteries—such as temperature resilience, high safety, and super-fast charging—the Guangtong Aifei can achieve ‘Charge for 5 minutes, drive 200 km’. This model is built on the KMB Aifei platform, adopting a body-in-white structure with front MacPherson and rear torsion beam suspension systems.
Hydrogen Fuel and Logistics Special Vehicles: Tianjin Guangtong Automobile Co., Ltd.’s main products cover hydrogen fuel buses and public transport vehicles, pure electric buses and public transport vehicles, and logistics special vehicles. The company has established comprehensive capacity to meet an annual production of 10,000 pure electric buses. Guangtong Auto’s product structure system also covers hybrid buses, natural gas buses, trolleybuses, and other new energy environmentally friendly products.
Guangtong Auto’s peak years occurred between 2017 and 2018. In 2017, Yinlong New Energy buses ranked fourth nationwide with annual sales of 6,626 units. In 2018, with 7,278 units sold, it rose to third place nationwide, trailing only Yutong and BYD, marking the golden period for Guangtong Auto in the new energy bus market. However, product competitiveness was significantly affected by the high cost of lithium titanate batteries (while mainstream new energy buses were priced under 1 million RMB, Yinlong products reached over 1 million RMB). Additionally, new energy subsidies declined year by year: from 500,000 RMB per vehicle in 2016, dropping to 200,000 RMB in 2017 and 120,000 RMB in 2018, before the ‘National Subsidy’ completely exited in 2023.
In the passenger car sector, the Guangtong Aifei benchmarked against the Buick GL8, with a pre-subsidy guide price as high as 430,000 RMB, far exceeding that of same-level competitors. Consequently, its market performance was extremely limited. After 2023, this model basically exited the market.
In the export field, Guangtong Auto has performed strongly in recent years. In October 2025, the first batch of 14 electric buses from Lanzhou Guangtong successfully arrived in Uzbekistan and were smoothly delivered to customers, marking the first bulk export of electric buses from Gansu Province. In November of the same year, 26 electric buses were again bulk exported to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. In 2025, Lanzhou Guangtong signed a total of 100 new energy bus orders with Uzbekistan and has established an after-sales service network covering Central and West Asia.
Lithium Titanate Battery Technology: This represents Guangtong Auto’s core technical barrier. Lithium titanate batteries offer significant advantages, including extremely high safety, low-temperature resistance (stable operation in extreme environments from -30°C to 50°C), ultra-fast charging speeds, and a long cycle life. All of Guangtong Auto’s pure electric products adopt lithium titanate battery solutions. This technology is also applied in Guangtong Aifei business vehicles, enabling the ‘Charge for 5 minutes, drive 200 km’ fast-charging capability. Gree Titanium New Energy Co., Ltd. focuses on lithium titanate core materials, batteries, motors and electronic controls, charging equipment, intelligent energy storage systems, and the cascading utilisation of recycled new energy batteries, forming a complete technical closed loop. Once the Tianjin Guangtong Industrial Park is fully completed, it will achieve an annual industrial scale of 3 billion Ah of lithium titanate batteries, 500,000 sets of hydrogen fuel cells, and 400,000 pure electric passenger vehicles.
Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor and Electronic Control: Guangtong Auto is equipped with permanent magnet synchronous motors independently developed by Zhuhai Yinlong Electrical Co., Ltd. (now Zhuhai Gree Titanium Electrical Co., Ltd.), with power coverage ranging from 68 kW to 200 kW. Combined with an independently developed vehicle control system, this forms a highly coordinated ‘Three Electrics’ system.
All-Aluminium Body Process: Guangtong Auto is the only enterprise in China to fully master the all-aluminium body process. Its manufactured double-decker buses feature lightweight construction, high strength, and a long service life. The company also masters the core manufacturing technology for all-aluminium body double-decker buses, providing differentiated competitive advantages in the high-end bus sector.
Global Standard Certification Capability: Guangtong Auto was the first enterprise in China to obtain EU certification for 12-metre pure electric buses and the earliest Chinese independent bus brand to pass EU certification. Export products strictly follow the EU ECE R100 standard for design and manufacturing, ensuring stable operation in extreme environments ranging from -30°C to 50°C.
U-Shaped Production Line and Intelligent Manufacturing: Guangtong Auto owns a U-shaped production line that integrates body production, painting, bus assembly, and other processes. Equipped with advanced process equipment and tooling fixtures, this setup ensures the stability of the manufacturing process and product quality.
Guangtong Auto’s overseas business started early, with an overseas division established in 2003. It passed EU certification in 2005 and established long-term cooperation with the Italian company Tomassini. The Hong Kong region is one of its most important overseas markets. The company has assembled Alexander Dennis double-decker buses for Hong Kong KMB since 2007 and later established direct cooperation with major bus companies such as New World First Bus and Citybus. Its all-aluminium body double-decker buses have occupied more than 85% of the Hong Kong bus market. In addition, products are exported to more than 30 countries and regions, including Italy, Germany, Malaysia, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Macau.
2025 was a significant year for Guangtong Auto’s overseas market expansion. Lanzhou Guangtong New Energy Automotive Co., Ltd., an important new energy vehicle production base in the western region, achieved bulk exports to Uzbekistan within the year. In October 2025, the first batch of 14 electric buses successfully arrived in Tashkent; in November, a second batch of 26 vehicles departed for shipment. The vehicles adopt an independently developed pure electric drive system, with a single-charge range of over 300 km. Lanzhou Guangtong has established an after-sales service network covering Central and West Asia in Uzbekistan and signed a total of 100 new energy bus orders within the year.
Gree Titanium New Energy Co., Ltd. has established multiple industrial parks across the country, among which the Tianjin Guangtong Automobile Industrial Park is the largest in scale. Phase I had a planned investment of approximately 3 billion RMB (with an actual investment of 4 billion RMB) and covers a land area of about 1,800 mu, establishing the city’s largest-scale and most comprehensive new energy production base. Phase II involves a planned investment of approximately 10 billion RMB over a land area of about 3,000 mu, constructing capacity to support an annual production of 2 billion Ah of lithium titanate batteries, 100,000 pure electric passenger vehicles, and integrated motor and electronic control systems. Phase III entails a planned investment of approximately 22 billion RMB across a land area of about 6,000 mu, aiming for an annual production capacity of 3 billion Ah of lithium titanate batteries, 500,000 sets of hydrogen fuel cells, 400,000 pure electric passenger vehicles, a 500 MWh energy storage system, and integrated motor and electronic control systems, along with charging equipment for the pure electric industry. Once the park is fully completed and reaches full production, the annual output value is projected to reach nearly 100 billion RMB.
In the overseas market, Lanzhou Guangtong has established an after-sales service network covering Central and West Asia. Future plans include continuing to expand market presence in countries along the ‘Belt and Road’, with multiple overseas business initiatives currently being connected and promoted. Against the global trend towards carbon neutrality and green transportation, Guangtong Auto needs to find a balance between the high safety of lithium titanate batteries and commercial competitiveness. Its future development scale will depend directly on the intensity of strategic capital investment from the Gree system and the effective implementation of its overseas plans.
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