Haopu Aian bids farewell to the comfort zone

In the spring of 2026, the Chinese new energy vehicle market did not welcome a breather. With the halving of the purchase tax incentive policy and the seasonal fluctuations before the Spring Festival, the entire industry fell into a certain degree of anxiety in January.

On February 1st, GAC Aion BU delivered its first complete monthly report since its establishment: sales of 23,591 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 63.9%.

According to sources from Wall Street, GAC Aion BU has made long-term plans for its upcoming development. "In 2026, we will launch no less than 5 new models. In the next 2-3 years, we plan to introduce no fewer than 30 new and updated models."

Previously, GAC Group General Manager He Xianqing stated that Aion BU will serve as the core engine for the group's breakthrough in the new energy business, with a goal of exceeding 2 million units in sales for its self-owned brands by 2030, and the Aion brand is expected to account for half of that.

In other words, with the continuous innovation of Aion BU in the future, it aims to achieve sales of over 1 million units by 2030, thereby positioning itself at the forefront of the industry.

To achieve this goal, Aion BU needs to step out of its "comfort zone."

For a long time, the brand relationship between Aion and Haobo has been in a subtle state of "separation." In order to target the high-end market, Haobo has been trying to distinguish itself from Aion in terms of branding, channels, and even organizational structure. This brand idealism was a style during the period of rapid market growth, but under the stock game in 2026, this separation is no longer timely.

On January 24th, three core executives, Zhang Xiong, Yang Long, and Feng Yu, collectively appeared at the first Aion BU dealer conference under the name of "Aion BU."

GAC realized that in the current market environment, no brand is qualified to engage in internal resource consumption. The establishment of Aion BU is essentially GAC's organizational integration.

In the past, R&D, marketing, and channels each had their own teams, but now they achieve deep collaboration across the entire value chain through the BU system. This is to exchange for agile market responses. The rebound in January's sales is largely attributed to the initial release of this organizational dividend, meaning the decision-making chain has shortened, and the response to market changes has become faster.

Accompanying the organizational transformation is the drastic integration of channels.

By the end of January, Aion and Haobo had completed the integration and upgrade of 254 service outlets, covering 147 cities nationwide. This means that the Haobo showrooms, which once existed independently to maintain a high-end image, are now largely transforming into comprehensive service stores of "Aion + Haobo."

For dealers, previously operating Haobo independently often meant significant cash flow pressure and low store visit rates. However, through integration, dealers can leverage Aion's originally large customer base to drive traffic to Haobo, achieving resource sharing. This "downward" movement into the Aion network has improved the survival efficiency of dealers. In 2026, ensuring the survival of channel partners is much more pragmatic than maintaining a high-cold brand image.

On the product front, the biggest variable for Aion this year is its deep cooperation with Huawei.

Wall Street has learned that among the 5 new models that Aion BU will launch in 2026, there will be smart models co-created with Huawei Horizon Aion BU's choice to partner with Huawei is a typical return to pragmatism. Since Huawei has already established a strong user perception in the high-end intelligent driving sector, through deep co-creation, Horizon Aion BU can quickly address its shortcomings in intelligent driving and focus its efforts on chassis tuning, space utilization, and manufacturing efficiency. This leveraging is a key step for Horizon Aion BU to move away from self-imposed limitations in its technological approach and towards openness.

In terms of marketing, Horizon Aion BU is also making efforts in the consumer end. Although it has reduced grand narratives, Aion is attempting to establish a deeper emotional connection in local markets through grassroots marketing initiatives, such as collaborating with the Xiangchao Champion Yongzhou Football Team. This shift reflects Aion's acceleration in reaching real car-buying demographics in second and third-tier cities. Meanwhile, the overseas market is projected to reach 30,483 vehicles in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 172.19%, which opens up another incremental space for Aion beyond the domestic market.

However, the long race for 2026 has just begun. Horizon Aion BU must seize market share amidst strong competition, which places nearly harsh demands on the precision of its product definition capabilities. Additionally, how to balance the brand premium conflict between Aion and Horizon within the same space, as well as maintaining long-term technological independence, are issues it needs to address moving forward.

Aion has stepped out of its comfort zone and into a colder but more promising real battlefield. It needs to continuously translate the results of its reforms into the terminal competitiveness of its products; the challenge has only just begun