July 16, heatwaves swept over Guangzhou, but inside the GAC Trumpchi factory, the atmosphere was hotter than the temperature. As a right-hand drive Trumpchi M8 PHEV slowly drove off the production line, GAC Group officially crossed the historical milestone of 30 million cumulative production. This is not just a pile of numbers, but also a strong declaration sent to the global market by another Chinese automotive giant following BYD.

From the first full vehicle roll-off in 1997 until now, GAC has traversed 29 years. In this era where "traffic is king" and price wars are rife, GAC chose to celebrate with a gratitude event full of "engineering-focused" vibes — no flashy performances, but through hardcore technology demonstrations and persistence in quality, interpreting what "steady and far-reaching" means.

Reject 'Unbalanced Capabilities', Embrace New Energy with Full Matrix

The 30 millionth vehicle rolled off this time is a plug-in hybrid MPV, which itself released a strong signal: GAC's transformation is all-around.

At the event site, GAC factories in multiple locations globally connected synchronously. The "New Energy Square" composed of GAC Honda P7, GAC Toyota bZ7, Qijing GT7, GAC Aion N60, and GAC Hyper S600 lined up one by one. This marks that GAC not only exerts force comprehensively in the independent sector, but also accelerates the "electrification" of the joint venture sector. Finally, the Trumpchi M8 PHEV representing GAC's latest technology was delivered to famous Thai movie star Tony Jaa. This detail is meaningful: GAC's 30 million is not only a victory in the domestic market, but also the beginning of a global layout. Data also confirms this, GAC's overseas exports increased by 132% year-on-year in the first half of the year, "Chinese cars" are accelerating towards the world.

Quality is the Bottom Line, and Even More Confidence

"Quality is the bottom line that GAC will never surrender." This sentence by GAC Group Chairman Feng Xingya appears particularly precious at present. Against the background of the auto industry generally pursuing "fast iteration", GAC still adheres to nearly rigorous verification standards.

According to on-site engineers, before every new GAC car is launched, it must undergo extreme tests of "Five Highs, One Mountain, One Dust" (Extreme Cold, Extreme Heat, Extreme Plateau, Extreme Humidity, Extreme Corrosion, Mountainous Areas, Sandstorms) and complete "Two Winters, One Summer" field road tests. This method that sounds somewhat "clumsy" has actually built the most robust moat for GAC. Especially that Star Spirit Safety Protection System, through dual redundancy design, has successfully avoided over 6.28 million potential travel risks. Plus the "Magazine Battery" with cumulative installation of 1.5 million vehicles and safe driving over 160 billion kilometers, these unseen places are exactly the cornerstone of GAC winning the trust of 30 million users.

From 'Selling Cars' to 'Caring for Fans', Service Upgraded Again

In the era of stock competition, how to retain users? The answer given by GAC is: Cherish users in the palm of your hand.

During the event, GAC's normally held "All Users Open Mic" session left a deep impression. Different from past auto companies' one-way output press conferences, GAC invited users into "home", facing criticism and suggestions directly. To ensure response speed, GAC launched "Super Butler" service, promising 5-second response, 2-hour completion. More worth attention is its layout in energy replenishment field. GAC Energy created "9 Verticals, 10 Horizontals" energy replenishment network, covering 213 cities nationwide, core urban areas achieved "1km straight line must have a station". This "hard investment" in infrastructure greatly relieved new energy car owners' range anxiety.

To return this 30 million trust, GAC immediately launched "Renewal Gratitude Season", its six major brands will introduce a series of sincere policies in purchase, trade-in, repurchase and other links.

Technology Centered, Sword Pointing to the Future

Standing on the 30 million steps, GAC's gaze has already been cast towards a more distant future. At the event site, the Star Source Power System developed by the "National Excellent Engineer Team" made a strong debut, covering three major technical routes: Range Extender, Plug-in Hybrid, and Super Dual Engine. In the intelligent connected field known as the car's "Brain", the Star Spirit architecture is continuously evolving, connecting six major systems such as smart driving, cockpit, power, etc., with comprehensive performance improved by 40%.

Worth mentioning, GAC did not build cars behind closed doors, but actively held hands with Huawei, CATL, Tencent, Alibaba and other tech giants to jointly build AI smart ecology. As of now, GAC's cumulative R&D investment has exceeded 62 billion yuan, this global R&D team composed of 6,800 people is promoting GAC to transform from a traditional car manufacturer to an "Ecological Technology Company".

Looking back at the 29-year journey, 30 million is a milestone, and more so a new starting point. When the industry enters a deep restructuring period, GAC proved with practical actions: no matter how the wind tunnel changes, sticking to the original intention of quality, adhering to user-centricity, and persisting in technological innovation, is the only path to traverse the cycle. The next 30 million is worth looking forward to.

GAC Group factory viewing platform, a right-hand drive M8 PHEV slowly drove out and was revealed to everyone. 29 years, 30 million vehicles. This number was not achieved overnight; it witnessed the development of the Guangzhou automotive industry and also promoted the development of China's automotive industry.

I noticed at the press conference venue that GAC Group received congratulatory messages from the upstream and downstream supply chains, as well as from many competitors. The highlight was that sitting below the stage were GAC engineers, frontline assemblers, and even owner friends from abroad.

Seeing this scene, my heart was indeed stirred at this moment.

1. 30 Million is a Witness of Quality

GAC Group's 30 million vehicles recorded the journey from the past to "learning to walk" to today, where six major brands — GAC Honda, GAC Toyota, GAC Trumpchi, AION, Hyper, and Qijing — shine brilliantly.

In the first half of this year, GAC Group sold 773,100 units, a year-on-year increase of 2.35%, with new energy vehicle sales increasing by 68.8% year-on-year. This demonstrates GAC Group's determination to transform toward electrification and intelligence.

Not only that, GAC Group also exceeded 120,000 units in overseas exports, a 132% year-on-year surge. From "bringing in" before to "going out" now, it reflects a microcosm of moving from scale expansion to value leap, becoming bigger and stronger.

If asked what leaves the deepest impression of GAC, I believe it is quality.

The 30 millionth vehicle rolled off the line today was chosen as a right-hand drive M8 PHEV; this car was not picked at random. On one hand, the M8 has already made a name for itself in overseas markets; even Thai martial arts superstar Tony Jaa was influenced by it, becoming the 30 millionth owner.

It was unthinkable ten years ago that a Chinese MPV would make overseas celebrities willingly pay for it.

2. What does GAC's "Quality" rely on?

I believe GAC's quality relies on methods and practice. If absorbing the essence of Honda's Total Quality Management (TQM) and Toyota's Lean Production System (TPS) is the methodology, then requiring every new car to undergo "Five Highs, One Mountain, One Dust" extreme tests and "Two Winters, One Summer" on-site road trials before launch is clearly a guarantee of good quality.

Everyone can see that Danxia batteries have been installed in 1.5 million vehicles cumulatively, with safe driving exceeding 160 billion kilometers. The Xingling Safety Guardian System served nearly 2 million users and prevented 6.28 million potential accidents. These are solid performances.

Not only that, quality is also reflected in the confidence of possessing the "Three Responsibilities" policy. GAC was the first in the industry to launch the "Three Responsibilities" policy for its own brands — spontaneous battery combustion replaced with a new car, degradation beyond limits replaced for free, and smart parking accidents covered by the manufacturer.

Daring to make such a promise indicates confidence in their own products. This practice of extending quality assurance from the moment of delivery to the entire vehicle usage lifecycle holds benchmark significance in the industry.

3. Full of Expectations for the Future

Watching GAC Group grow from nothing to something, from small to large. 30 million is not just a number — it is the choice of 30 million families.

According to the plan, by 2030, GAC aims to enter 120 countries and regions globally, build over 2,000 overseas outlets, and achieve an annual overseas sales volume of 1 million vehicles.

In the second half of the year, there are also major models such as the hard-core off-road SUV Trumpchi "Yue 7", AION smart coupes, and Qijing GX7.

For the next 30 million, we look forward to watching it grow big, and more importantly, watching it grow strong.