The new Guangzhou Auto Trumpchi GM8 has been
launched on the 2017 Guangzhou Auto Show, marking the brand’s entry into the
full-size MPV segment, competing with cars like the Buick GL8 and the Honda
Odyssey.
The Trumpchi GM8 looks fine for the segment; but it
can’t hide its big-ness 5066/1923/1822 mm, and wheelbase is 3000 mm. And that makes
the GM8 the largest passenger car that Guangzhou Auto has ever build. It will
be launched on the Chinese car market in the first quarter of 2018. Price will
range from around 180.000 to 270.000 yuan. Engine is a 2.0 turbo with 200 hp,
mated to a six-speed automatic.
Typical Trumpchi steering wheel. Loads, and loads,
of buttons all over the center stack. Instrument panel is analog with a TFT in
between. Gear lever is located on the center stack. Touch screen measures nine
inch.
The car on show was a top-end version with luxurious
seats and TV screens. It seats seven in a 2/2/3 setup. Guangzhou Auto will also
offer a longer variant with more seats.
The GL8 has long been king in the large MPV segment
and many Chinese companies have tried to dethrone it, so far without much
success.
Most of these companies were trying to offer a far
cheaper alternative, and that didn’t really work because the owners of these
vehicles, mostly fleet companies, don’t want to have ‘cheap’ cars, they want
luxury to impress their customers. Guangzhou Auto seems to have learned this
lesson. The GM8, no that name is no coincidence, is still cheaper than the GL8,
but it is not a cheap car by any means, and it has all the luxury that the GL8
also has.
