GAC installs in São Paulo one of its only two engineering centers outside China

GAC has inaugurated an Engineering, Research and Development (R&D) Center in São Paulo (SP) and, as a result, Brazil becomes one of only two countries to house a structure of this type outside China – the other is in Europe. The unit will concentrate portfolio planning, product development, technical validation, market research and the improvement of mobility technologies aimed at local consumers.

Part of this work was already being done even before the brand’s official arrival in the country, in May 2025. The Brazilian team participated in the adaptation and validation of models such as the GS3 SUV and the electric Aion UT, adjusting the vehicles to the conditions of use, infrastructure and preferences of the national public.

The center was organized on three fronts: the first takes care of portfolio planning, with market studies, technologies, regulatory requirements and consumer research to guide the next launches. The second is responsible for product development, including durability tests, calibration, drivability, evaluation of driver assistance systems (ADAS), emissions, approvals and analysis of items such as suspension, steering, brakes and noise and vibration (NVH). The third operates in the launch stage, with the localization of components, the development of national suppliers and the monitoring of customer feedback.

Among the technical priorities are solutions for flex, hybrid and electric vehicles, as well as the evolution of REEV (electric vehicle with range extender) technology, which combines electric traction with a combustion generator to extend range.

The initiative is linked to GAC’s investment plan in Brazil and the local production project at the HPE Automotores plant in Catalão (GO), which currently assembles Mitsubishi models. HPE, which has fully national capital, has been manufacturing vehicles in the country for more than 25 years, and the partnership allows GAC to debut local production without building a plant from scratch, taking advantage of the idle capacity of the Goiás unit. The Chinese automaker expects to invest US$ 1.3 billion in Brazil by 2030 and intends to start production in 2027, with a capacity of up to 50 thousand vehicles per year in the combustion, hybrid and electric lines.

For Leonardo Lukacs, director of Engineering, Research, Development and Manufacturing at GAC, the center is “an important milestone for GAC in Brazil”. According to the executive, the objective goes beyond adapting products: the company wants to participate in the evolution of mobility in the country, focusing on the development of suppliers and the training of specialized professionals.