GAC Aion, the electric vehicle brand under Chinese auto giant GAC Group, joined hands with Indonesian carmaker PT Indomobil Sukses Internasional, better known as Indomobil Group, to accelerate its expansion in the Indonesian market.

GAC Aion and Indomobil will cooperate on vehicle manufacturing, automobile sales and services, finance, energy, mobility, and supply chain to provide Indonesian consumers with smart new energy products and promote the development of the local new energy vehicle industry, the Guangzhou-based EV marque announced yesterday.

Indonesia is the most populous country and largest consumer of automobiles in Southeast Asia and has abundant nickel ore resources used in NEV batteries, GAC Aion noted, adding that Indomobil is part of Indonesia’s largest conglomerate Salim Group, so it can provide strong support for GAC Aion’s growth in the region.

GAC Aion is accelerating its globalization strategy and entering multiple markets in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Its first overseas factory in Thailand, with a total investment of THB2.3 billion (USD62.7 million) and a planned annual production capacity of 50,000 units, started construction in January. Its first phase is expected to be completed in July.

In the future, GAC Aion will further expand overseas and build international production and sales bases in the Asia Pacific, European, Middle Eastern, and American regions.

GAC Aion sold 480,000 NEVs last year, up 77 percent from the previous year, ranking third in China’s NEV market by sales, after Chinese auto titan BYD and US EV giant Tesla, according to GAC Group.