Several Models of the GAC MOTOR Shine in Transformers 4, Highlighting GAC Group's Aggressive International Expansion Plan
HONG KONG, June 20, 2014
The global premiere of Transformers 4, anxiously awaited by millions of fans, takes place in Hong Kong today (June 19). The director, the leading stars, and Imagine Dragons are all huge draws of the film, yet, as uniquely Chinese elements in the epic masterpiece - several models of GAC MOTOR have attracted the attention of film goers and fans across the world.
GAC MOTOR, a 100% China-proprietary brand, chosen for Transformers 4
Several models of the GAC MOTOR, an automotive brand owned by Chinese automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC), made their appearance in the sci-fi film, highlighting the brand's cool and fashionable look: the avant-garde E-jet concept car, driven by the world's richest man, projects a powerful and heady aura; the black, sedate GAC MOTOR GA5, as representative of the Chinese government and military, has aroused enormous interest; the white and light-footed GAC MOTOR GA5 is the vehicle of choice for starring Chinese actress Li Bingbing, who, together with the world's richest man, is filmed in a car race with several of the world's other renowned luxury cars. The excellent sense of road control when at the wheel of the GAC MOTOR GA5 enables the two starring actors to escape while being chased by the Decepticons and arrive in Hong Kong safely.
It is well-known that any element in any Hollywood blockbuster must undergo rigorous review. A 100% China-proprietary brand vehicle, has, for the first time ever, been selected by a universally known filmmaker, a signal of international recognition of the quality of Chinese brands and a vivid manifestation of the transformation of Chinese products into ones that can go toe-to-toe with any of the world's most well-known luxury brands with the GAC MOTOR as a representative.
With "Building a car for families" as the concept, Trumpchi has been making breakthrough after breakthrough in research and development, technology, manufacturing and quality, allowing Trumpchi to achieve rapid growth in the Chinese market. From its market launch in 2010 up to today, the sales volume has jumped to 85,000 units from an original 17,000 units, becoming a money earner with a profit of RMB250 million from being a money losing proposition at the outset. The sales volume of GAC MOTOR has tripled in a short period of time, well exceeding the compounded annual growth rate of the vast majority of Chinese proprietary brands.
As a Chinese proprietary brand with a focus on forward development in China's auto industry, GAC MOTOR has received many professional certifications. To cite an example, in a report on the quality of China-made new cars in J.D.Power 2013, GAC MOTOR scored 97 points (the lower the scores the better the quality), far better than the industry average of 119 points, paving the way for the brand to gain the reputation of a car with world-class quality, and become the first China-owned brand with an above-average score. Even when compared with wholly imported cars or cars made by joint ventures, GAC MOTOR's 97 points is less than their overage average for all such vehicles of 104 points. GAC MOTOR has broken the J.D. Power record of never having have any Chinese proprietary brand achieve a point score less than average, demonstrating that the quality of a Chinese proprietary brand is, for the first time, as good as an international one. J.D. Power 's certification had prompted Trumpchi to seek and obtain the Xuanyuan Award - the only award recognizing the outstanding contributions in China's automotive industry. Further, the car has been awarded by the most authoritative media organization in China, CCTV, as an only car brand for the year of 2013.
Forward development has laid the solid foundation for an internationalization strategy
Michael Bay, director of Transformers 4, paid a visit to the GAC R&D institute and GAC MOTOR manufacturing plant in Guanzhou after he completed the shooting of Transformers 4 in Beijing, and planted a Hainan scented wood (the most valuable and famous tree in China) in the plant with Wu Song. The trust and level of cooperation between two parties from the GAC MOTOR-featuring Transformers 4 and the tree-planting event is evident. Word had it that Michael Bay is greatly satisfied with the manufacturing strength of the vehicle and looks forward to there being a new model of GAC MOTOR one day named the Michael Bay.
"We chose to be partner with Transformers 4 as GAC MOTOR and Transformers share the same definition of heroism and sense of culture by emphasizing justice, power, fortitude and wisdom, and more importantly, GAC wants to bring China's high-quality models to the world through an internationally acclaimed movie, providing overseas buyers with an insight into products with uniquely Chinese characteristics," Wu Song, general manager of GAC MOTOR, commented on their strategic goal of brand enhancement and overseas expansion at the debut ceremony.
GAC MOTOR has already established a global presence. GAC Passenger Vehicle has expanded into 18 countries with a focus on major global markets that provide an opening to neighboring regions. GAC MOTOR showrooms will also open in prime locations across Dubai.
The increasingly perfected overseas brand system also enriches GAC Motor's overall brand planning. GAC MOTOR is not only the sole Chinese auto manufacturing representative to exhibit at large domestic and overseas auto shows, but also the official vehicle of many major international competitions and conferences, including the Guangzhou Asian Games, World Tour Grand Finals, China-ASEAN Expo and the China International Fair for Investment and Trade.
The latest international move for GAC MOTOR is appearing in Transformers: Age of Extinction. GAC MOTOR, the vehicle of choice for Chinese government officials as well as the world's wealthiest person and famous movie star Li Bingbing, has appeared on-screen multiple times, attracting the attention of hundreds of millions of people worldwide. A case in point, when, in the movie, Hong Kong was attacked, the black GAC MOTOR GA5, is selected as the Chinese military vehicle, highlighting Chinese military's resolute strength in keeping cool, calm and collected in the face of danger and, at the same time, being ever-victorious.
"We have developed a step-by-step strategy of 'Introducing' and 'Going Out', adhering to the principle of being self-sufficient as we constantly strive for self-improvement," said Wu Song when commenting on the development path for GAC MOTOR. "We at first adopted the principle of 'Introducing,' which means integrating world-leading suppliers and R&D organizations to form a global R&D network as the means to create the unique gene sequence for Trumpchi. We also adhere to the principle of self-improvement and target the medium- and high-end market, building a brand with quality."
Matching the quality of joint-venture brands, GAC MOTOR is accelerating its overseas expansion. The "Going Out" strategy means entering the international market as a high-end model. South America, the Middle East as well as Central and Western Asia are the breakthrough points, followed by entry into North America and Europe at the right time. "Export sales of GAC MOTOR are expected to account for 20% of our total in the future, and we expect that percentage to already reach 10% during the first 5 years. We hope GAC MOTOR will go global faster with its appearance in the international blockbuster," said Wu Song with confidence.
