Is GAC Trumpchi a Joint Venture Car?
2 Answers
GAC Trumpchi is not a joint venture car. GAC Trumpchi is a Chinese brand vehicle independently developed by GAC, but up to 40% of the components in Trumpchi vehicles are sourced from renowned international parts suppliers. GAC Trumpchi is the first independently developed model by GAC Group, targeting the mid-to-high-end market. The Trumpchi brand is one of the major domestic independent brands, while GAC Toyota, GAC Honda, GAC Mitsubishi, and GAC Fiat are all joint venture vehicles produced in China. Domestic cars refer to vehicles designed and manufactured by Chinese companies, featuring independent intellectual property rights and Chinese-owned brands. GAC Trumpchi is a domestic brand created by GAC Group to enhance core competitiveness and achieve sustainable development. In December 2010, the first Trumpchi sedan was successfully launched in the market, followed by the GA5 and GS5 models. Later, the brand developed a new A-class platform and introduced the GA3. In 2014, Trumpchi rapidly expanded its lineup with the GA3S, GS5-Super, GA5-REV extended-range electric vehicle, and GA6 models.
GAC Trumpchi is a 100% domestic vehicle. Although it carries the name of GAC Group, it's completely different from joint venture brands like Honda and Toyota. GAC Group owns 99% of the Trumpchi brand's shares, with the remaining 1% belonging to GAC Motor Company itself. During my years working in automotive media, I've seen many people confuse GAC Group with the Trumpchi brand—after all, GAC operates both joint ventures and independent brands. Trumpchi vehicles are entirely handled by local teams from design and R&D to production and manufacturing. I've seen their engineers conducting crash tests at the GAC Research Institute, all with distinctly Chinese faces. Determining whether a car is a joint venture is simple: in joint venture automakers, Chinese and foreign parties each hold about 50% of the shares. Ownership structures like Trumpchi's clearly place it in the independent brand camp.
