A Guangzhou Auto Trumpchi GA5, seen in Beijing in early 2011, on a cold winter’s day. At the time, the Trumpchi GA5 was brand new and yet ultra rare, much rarer indeed than the two Nissan Bluebird sedans in the background. The GA5 was the first car of the Trumpchi line under the Guangzhou Auto brand. Later on, Trumpchi became a standalone brand.
Today, it is usually referred to as GAC Trumpchi, with GAC standing for Guangzhou Automobile Corporation. The GA5 was a pretty sedan with a modern design. It was based on the platform of the Alfa Romeo 166. Fiat had sold the platform, plus a 2.0 petrol engine, to Guangzhou Auto in 2009.
Guangzhou Auto wasted no time and production of the Trumpchi GA5 started in late 2010 and it was officially launched on the Chinese car market in mid-2011. So the example that I saw was likely a dealer car or a media car, and probably one of the very first cars that arrived in the capital Beijing.
In 2011, the Guangzhou Auto Trumpchi GA5 was only available with the Fiat 2.0 engine, mated to a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed automatic. Output was 150 hp and 183 Nm. Price started at 122.800 yuan, and that was a very good deal for a 4.8 meter long car with a, for that time in China, modern platform underneath. The GA5 stayed in production until 2018, and over the years Guangzhou Auto added a 1.8, a 1.8 turbo, and a rather special 1.0 turbo range extender PHEV to the lineup. Not a bad run for an Alfa-based sedan!