On April 18, the star-studded 20th Shanghai International Auto Show, themed "Embracing the New Era of the Auto Industry”, kicked off. GAC Group's subsidiaries, including GAC Motor, GAC Aion, GAC Honda, and GAC Toyota, attended the exhibition with a preeminent array of electric vehicles. On the morning of the 18th, GAC Group held a press conference named "Electrification in the New Era" to mark the new era of electrification transformation in the auto industry. It unveiled the "NEXT" plan and the Trumpchi E9, GAC Motor's new and first plug-in hybrid electric model, which was opened for pre-sale at the same time. Additionally, GAC Group also exhibited various self-developed black technologies, such as advanced batteries, electric drives, and platform architectures.

The acronym "NEXT" stands for New EV + XEV Transition, and it denotes GAC Group's commitment to the two development paths, namely "EV + ICV" (electric + intelligent) and "XEV + ICV" (hybrid + intelligent), at the start of the multi-energy era. It also aims to support GAC Motor in its transformation to XEV (electrified vehicle), which includes PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle), REV (extended-range electric vehicle), and HEV (hybrid electric vehicle), on the premises of maintaining GAC Aion’s leading edge in EV (electric vehicle). GAC Motor will also go full blast on PHEVs. In addition to the Trumpchi E9 released at the Shanghai Auto Show, it will also launch blockbuster PHEV products, including the second-generation GS8 and the new B-class MPV.