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The only thing the world knows about Trumpchi is that Top Gear once went to China and made fun of one. In reality, it’s an automotive marque owned by GAC (Guangzhou Auto) having a very short history, being launched as recently as December 2010.
Jeremy Clarkson with Trumpchi GA5 sedan (2011)
Trumpchi GS8 SUV launched on the 26th of October 2016 marks that Chinese self-independent brands are stepping further in the fight for developing high-end quality products. Earlier at the Beijing auto show in April, GAC (Guangzhou Auto) Trumpchi GS8 had attracted wide attention during its debut, due to the attractive appearances, large size body, and GAC’s advances in R&D, design and manufacturing technologies.
The GS8 is the new flagship model in the Trumpchi range and is the highly anticipated; the largest and most expensive car GAC (Guangzhou Auto) has ever built. It is also labeled by Chinese media as the best looking SUV from a Chinese car maker so far.
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The Trumpchi GS8 is powered by a 2.0 turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 201hp and 300nm, mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox. The low-end variants get front-wheel drive, while the high-end variants get four-wheel drive, designated as 320T and 320T i4WD respectively.
In China the number 8 is considered lucky & is supposed to bring the GS8 luck, as there are eight LEDs per headlight and the 8-symbol also appears in the taillights once you step on the brake pedal.
The interior is also really impressive with quality finish, white leather, light wood, and piano black panels. The speedometer has 2 analogue dials with an LCD in between. The in-dash screen is a 10.1 inch unit and unlike most Chinese cars, the operating system is in English. That is no surprise since Guangzhou Auto has serious plans to export the GS8, beginning with the United States.
The GS8 is a seven-seater with 2/3/2 seating configuration. A smaller five-seat variant is under way which will be called as GS7. Overall the GS8 is a very promising attempt by GAC to target the high-end SUV market, with all the tech-goodies & some extremely striking looks, the Trumpchi GS8 will do wonders for GAC and will live up to its reputation of a flagship model.
The GAC Trumpchi GS8 is priced from 163,800 yuan (equivalent to PKR 25.08 lac) for the base version, and goes up to 259,800 yuan (equivalent to PKR 39.78 lac) for the top-of-the-line version.
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GAC had announced its plans to export Trumpchi range of vehicles to regions including USA, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, South America and Southeast Asia. GAC had once expressed its interests to explore Pakistani market in 2010 during the regime of President Asif Ali Zardari. Though rounds of discussions were done however nothing really shaped up. Now with the CPEC & Auto policy 2016-21 showing its fruits, one may expect the likes of GAC to enter Pakistan with their exciting range of vehicles.
