GAC Aion opened its first store in the Philippines and delivered vehicles to its first 10 local customers.

GAC Aion, the electric vehicle (EV) subsidiary of GAC Group, has opened its first store in the Philippines, as it expands its presence in the Southeast Asian market.

GAC Aion's first flagship showroom in the Philippines opened on September 16, marking the EV maker's official entry into the Philippine market, according to a statement today.

The store is located in the city of Makati, the financial center of the Philippines, and occupies 1,420 square meters.

The store currently showcases six GAC Aion models, as well as its EV platform, with four charging piles, including two fast-charging piles.

It also has an after-sales service area to provide customers with car-buying and after-sales experience, according to the company.

The Philippines is a promising automotive market in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and the local government is supportive of the EV industry, which provides room for the Aion to grow, said the company's head of sales for Southeast Asia, Rongbo Kim.

GAC Aion will bring high-quality new energy mobility solutions to Filipino consumers and continue to expand its local sales and service network, he said.

GAC Aion held a ceremony at the store to deliver vehicles to the first 10 local owners. It did not mention the specific model of the vehicles, but a picture showed that the vehicles appeared to be Aion Y Plus SUVs (sport utility vehicle).

The Aion Y Plus was already launched in Thailand last September with a starting price of 1,069,900 baht ($32,100).

The model is now available in 13 versions in China, where it is priced in the range of RMB 99,800 ($14,070) - RMB 189,800.

GAC Aion announced partnerships with dealerships in three Philippine cities, according to the statement.

The Philippines is ASEAN's fourth-largest automotive market, with a 17.8 percent year-on-year increase in passenger car sales from January to June, the statement noted.

GAC Aion sold 35,355 vehicles in August, down 21.48 percent year-on-year but up 0.33 percent from July, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.

In the January-September period, GAC Aion sold 247,959 vehicles, down 17.18 percent.

($1 = THB 33.34, $1 = RMB 7.0950)

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