Trumpchi: owner, models, markets and what the name means
Facts checked United States status as of 4 September 2026
- State-owned
- SSE 601238
- HKEX 2238
Trumpchi is GAC's own car brand, established in December 2010. Its first model, the GA5 saloon, went into mass production in September 2010 on a platform derived from the Alfa Romeo 166 - engineering GAC had acquired rather than licensed from an active partner.
The range today covers saloons such as the Empow, the GS3, GS4, GS8 and Emkoo SUVs, and the M6, M8 and E8 people carriers, with an increasing share of hybrids and plug-in hybrids. GAC's 2025 annual report put Trumpchi's new energy vehicle sales above 150,000.
Outside China the brand is not called Trumpchi. GAC exports it as GAC Motor, a change it settled on after reconsidering the name in the wake of the 2016 US election. Exports began in 2013 to eastern Europe, the Middle East, South America and south-east Asia; Malaysia received the GS3 in December 2021. GAC's group overseas retail sales reached about 130,000 vehicles in 2025.
A planned US launch in late 2019 was abandoned as trade tensions and tariffs made the entry impractical, and the brand has not been sold there.
Key facts
| Chinese name | 传祺 “chwahn-CHEE” 传 'to pass on' + 祺 'auspicious, good fortune' - roughly 'passing on good fortune' |
|---|---|
| Also written | GAC Motor, GAC Trumpchi, Chuanqi and 传祺 |
| Owner | GAC Group |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Headquarters | Guangzhou, China |
| Origin | China |
| First car | Trumpchi GA5, 2010 |
| Vehicles | Cars |
| Segment | Mass market |
| United States | Not sold in the United States — GAC planned to enter the United States by late 2019 and cancelled the plan because of US-China trade tension and tariffs on Chinese goods. The brand has not been sold there since. |
| Established | December 2010, by GAC Group in Guangzhou |
| First model | Trumpchi GA5 saloon, in mass production from September 2010, based on the Alfa Romeo 166 platform |
| Export name | Sold as GAC Motor outside China, a decision taken after the 2016 US election |
| Export history | Exports from 2013 to eastern Europe, the Middle East, South America and south-east Asia; Malaysia from December 2021 |
| New energy sales, 2025 | More than 150,000 Trumpchi new energy vehicles |
| GAC overseas retail sales, 2025 | About 130,000 vehicles group-wide, up 48% year on year |
Who owns Trumpchi?
Guangzhou Municipal State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission controls GAC Group.
GAC Group's controlling shareholder is Guangzhou Automobile Industry Group Co., Ltd. (GAIG), a holding company owned by the Guangzhou city government. The size of GAIG's stake could not be confirmed from GAC's own filings for this entry; secondary sources put it near 57%.
The full ownership page for Trumpchi · Is Trumpchi Chinese?
Where Trumpchi is sold
Recorded in 2 market s: CN and Malaysia. Where a company publishes only its principal markets, that is a floor and not a complete list.
| Country | Code | Market page |
|---|---|---|
| China | CN | no page yet |
| Malaysia | MY | Chinese cars in Malaysia |
Trumpchi: questions people ask
- Is Trumpchi Chinese?
- Yes. Trumpchi is GAC Group's own brand, made in Guangzhou. GAC's controlling shareholder is owned by the Guangzhou city government.
- What does Trumpchi mean?
- The Chinese name 传祺 (Chuánqí) means roughly 'passing on good fortune', and it is a homophone of 传奇, 'legend'. Trumpchi is a coined English spelling of the sound.
- Is Trumpchi named after Donald Trump?
- No. The name was chosen in 2010, and it romanises the Chinese 传祺. GAC did drop the spelling for export after the 2016 US election, selling the cars abroad as GAC Motor.
- Why is Trumpchi called GAC Motor abroad?
- GAC uses GAC Motor as the export name. The cars and badge are the same; only the name changes outside China.
- Is Trumpchi sold in the US?
- No. GAC planned to enter the US market by late 2019 but cancelled the plan over trade tension and tariffs, and has not sold there since.
Related
Sources for Trumpchi
- Wikipedia, Trumpchi. Read . December 2010 establishment, GA5 and its platform, model list, export history and Malaysia, the GAC Motor export name and the cancelled US launch
- BigGo Finance, GAC Group's 2025 Revenue Nears 100 Billion Yuan but Posts Huge 8.8 Billion Yuan Loss. Read . Summarises GAC Group's 2025 annual report of 31 March 2026: Trumpchi NEV sales above 150,000 and group overseas retail of about 130,000