Another one? Seriously? How many new car brands does Australia need?!
GAC, also known as Guangzhou Automobile Group, (pronounced G-A-C and not gack) is one of the biggest brands in China and has partnerships with both Toyota and Honda. But even so, why enter the Australian market now, after so many others have already staked their claim.
In the last few years we have been inundated with new brands, mostly from China, including BYD, Chery, Deepal, Geely, GWM, Jaecoo, LDV, Leapmotor, Omoda, Zeeker, Xpeng and even the closely-named-but-unrelated JAC. And it doesn’t stop there, with Denza confirmed to enter soon and more reportedly on the way (ironically even one brand called Wey).
Given the Australian new car market rarely exceeds more than 1.2 million sales in any given year, this means the ‘pie’ is getting cut into smaller and smaller slices, so there is only so many sales brands like GAC can reasonably expect to garner.
What you really need is something that really stands out and impresses both in what it offers in terms of value but also how it drives. A big part of the problem with these Chinese-built newcomers is that while they offer great value, they are fundamentally dull and enjoyable to drive.
Not every car needs to possess the dynamic capabilities of a Porsche 911 GT3, but even the smallest SUV can be good to drive – sure-footed, responsive and comfortable.
Which is exactly the words I’d use to describe the Emzoom. It possesses a driving experience well-ahead of its similar-priced peers, and while not class-leading (and certainly with some areas in need of improvement) it makes a strong first impression.
What’s more, it does so while retaining the key attribute that has allowed Chinese brands to make so much headway so quickly in Australia – it’s cheap.
Priced from just $25,590 (plus on-road costs) it’s amongst the most-affordable new cars in Australia. It comes well-equipped for the price too, with 18-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof, wireless phone charging and a power tailgate all included in the price.
It also comes with something called Sentury tyres, which is not a brand I’ve ever heard of or really want to experience again, so there are clearly some cost-savings made along the way.
It doesn’t look or feel particularly cheap, with some genuine character to the design, with a series of geometric lines and shapes used both on the exterior and inside the cabin. It’s certainly more interesting to look at than many of the bland new cars that have arrived in Australia this year.
Part of the reason it’s so cheap is GAC has bucked the trend for Chinese car makers to go electric or plug-in hybrid, and instead the Emzoom is powered by a conventional 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
It only makes a modest 125kW of power and 270Nm of torque, which won’t shove you back in your seat, but it does the job for a small SUV. It feels a bit quicker than it is when you take off, because it has ‘old-school’ dual-clutch transmission vibes combined with the Sentury tyres that leave you spinning your wheels when you try to make a smooth getaway.
But once you are off and running, the Emzoom performs admirably, offering plenty of compliance over bumps while still retaining responsive handling.
GAC has been in partnership with both Toyota and Honda for decades in China and clearly they were paying attention to what it takes to make a car ride and handling in markets outside of its native China.
They could do with more help on reducing cabin noise, as there is a lot of tyre roar, wind noise and just an overall feeling of limited sound deadening underneath the Emzoom. But this is another one of those areas where you get what you pay for and accept its limitations.
There are cheaper alternatives but none that are quite as affordable and quite as good as the Emzoom. But before it can really be considered a success GAC has to stick around, because with all these new brands jumping into the Australian market not all of them will be able to find enough buyers to survive long-term.
GAC may be arriving late, but they have as good a shot as any thanks to its appealing qualities.
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