Well well, what do we have here? And a sedan no less, in a scene dominated by SUVs. Faisal Hussamuddin shared these pics on MyEVOC’s Facebook page and we’ve been searching for a match. The poster asks if this is Proton’s first ever EV undergoing testing?
Why EV? Well, the car is parked in an EV-only lot at what looks like Aeon Mall Shah Alam, and there are people fiddling with what appears to be a charging cable. Proton = Geely, so is this the Geometry A? The lines don’t seem to match, so we ran the trade plate number on our archives and there was a match – P 1379 A was previously seen on a Chery Omoda 5.
However, none of Chery’s current sedans including those from the Arrizo range match the look of the mystery sedan. After some trial, error and debate, we think that this is the Aion S Plus.
Established in 2017, China’s Aion EV brand is owned by GAC Aion New Energy Automobile, which is a subsidiary of the GAC Group. Guangzhou Automobile Group’s Malaysian partner is WTC Automotif, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tan Chong’s Warisan TC Holdings.
The S Plus is Aion’s flagship electric sedan that was launched in China in June 2021. There, the Aion S Plus can be had in NEDC ranges of 410 km, 510 km and 602 km, with prices starting from 139,600 yuan (RM90,727) after government subsidies.
A 204 hp/350 Nm electric motor pushes the sedan from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds, but what’s unique is the claimed best-in-the-world aerodynamics of 0.211 Cd. Despite that, it doesn’t ‘look very aero’, unlike the Hyundai Ioniq 6.
The Aion S Plus is 4,810 mm long and 1,880 mm wide, which puts it around the size of a Toyota Camry, which is 75 mm longer but 40 mm narrower than the Aion. The EV’s 2,750 mm wheelbase is around that of a Civic FE. The taped-up car we see here has conventional door handles though, not the flush ones seen in Aion’s official images, and the wheels aren’t of the fancy aero variety.
What about the ‘Chery trade plates’ then? According to our source, this P temporary plate belongs to a third party and not the carmaker. Turns out that the plate has also been seen on a Peugeot and a smart, so it could be owned by someone like a parts supplier.
So, is GAC bringing in the Aion S Plus EV to take advantage of Malaysia’s tax-free window for CBU EVs? Perhaps, but what’s certain is that the aggressive-looking GS3 B-segment SUV – to be locally assembled at Segambut – will kickstart things for the brand this year. Check out the Aion S Plus below.
GALLERY: Aion S Plus
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