(Yicai) Nov. 25 -- GAC Group has become the first Chinese company to have completed the construction of a trial mass production line for automotive-grade all-solid-state batteries with a capacity of over 60 amperes, according to the carmaker's chairman.

GAC's all-solid-state battery trial production line has begun pilot operations, Feng Xingya said at a press briefing during the ongoing 2025 Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition. This achievement marks a crucial step toward the goal of small-batch application of solid-state batteries in vehicles.

The energy density of GAC's all-solid-state batteries is nearly double that of existing products, said Qi Hongzhong, head of new-energy power research and development at GAC's advanced platform technology institute. The firm plans to conduct small-batch vehicle loading tests next year, followed by gradual mass production between 2027 and 2030, he noted.

GAC has undergone a great transformation over the past year, especially by learning from Huawei Technologies, Feng noted. The reform included internal organizational structure adjustments, the adoption of integrated product development, and marketing system upgrades.

With this reform, GAC shifted to a "product-oriented team" model from a "department-based division of labor" structure, said Xia Xianqing, the carmaker's newly appointed general manager. The core of the reform was to break down inter-departmental barriers, strengthen end-to-end business collaboration, and enhance operational efficiency, he added.

In September, GAC upgraded its cooperation with Huawei's Intelligent Automotive Solution Business United, jointly launching a new brand, Qijing.

"Qijing targets younger, more fashionable consumers with extreme demands for vehicle performance," Xia noted. The first electric vehicle model under the marque will launch next year, priced at around CNY300,000 (USD41,800), according to plans.

"GAC places Qijing at the highest priority," Feng reportedly said, stressing the importance of this new brand. "GAC is all in on Qijing."

As part of the transformation, GAC is also promoting sales channel reforms, planning to add 600 brand experience stores to cover over 90 percent of county-level markets nationwide. So far, investment promotion and layout have been launched in the first batch of 100 cities.

Compared with other leading enterprises, GAC has still room for improvement in existing services and sales, spare parts, services, and survey store experiences, said Deputy GM Huang Yongqiang. According to plans, GAC's sales system will reach the county and township levels to support its new energy development strategy.

GAC's new energy vehicle arm GAC Aion recently released a new EV model with JD.Com, the Aion UT. Priced from only CNY49,900 (USD9,950), the Aion UT targets the lower-tier markets.

China's new energy vehicle market is accelerating its penetration from first-tier cities to fourth- and fifth-tier cities, Huang noted, adding that GAC aims to leverage JD.Com's online channels to expand into the lower-tier markets, with the Aion UT as the main product.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Futura Costaglione