GAC reveals first Prado-style off-road luxury PHEV SUV in China

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The GAC Yue 7 combines rugged off-road capability with a luxurious interior and a high-tech plug-in hybrid powertrain.


Kez Casey
GAC reveals first Prado-style off-road luxury PHEV SUV in China

Despite being a relative newcomer to the Australian market, China’s GAC has a portfolio of over 25 models across multiple brands in its home market.

At the 2026 Beijing motor show, GAC unveiled its first off-road-capable SUV, joining a slew of similar models from brands like Denza, Geely, and others as Chinese brands race to capture the upmarket four-wheel-drive segment.

The GAC Yue 7 debuted with styling that looks like a blend between the Land Rover Defender and Toyota LandCruiser Prado. Even the beige paint looks like a close match to Toyota’s Sandy Taupe shade.

The design preview showed off a visor-like front face with bold, square LED running lights and prominent GAC lettering across the grille.

GAC reveals first Prado-style off-road luxury PHEV SUV in China

Contrasting lower body cladding, exaggerated front and rear guards, plastic wheelarch cladding, and integrated sidesteps all point to the Yue 7’s off-road capability.

Rather than going for an extreme off-road look like some rivals at the Beijing show, GAC was more restrained, with highway-terrain tyres and tall, but not over-the-top ride height.

A more safari-ready version was also on hand, with a selection of carriers, a roof rack, and simulated bead-lock rims, plus a tailgate-mounted spare wheel carrier.

Revealed as an exterior preview only, the interior of the Yue 7 has not yet been revealed.

With the Yue 7 forming part of the Trumpchi brand line-up in China, expect a premium focus in fitting with the brand’s more upmarket positioning.

GAC reveals first Prado-style off-road luxury PHEV SUV in China

The drivetrain is expected to be a version of GAC’s existing 2.0 plug-in hybrid system used across other vehicles in its line-up, with varying overseas media reports suggesting a combined output of between 275-300kW.

The Yue 7 is also expected to share its underpinning and drivetrain with an upcoming dual-cab ute from GAC.

GAC has already confirmed plans to bring a ute to Australia, and the likely engineering similarities between a ute and large SUV combined with the appetite for big off-roaders Down Under, mean a version of the Yue 7 could arrive here.

GAC has previously outlined its intentions to become a top-10 selling brand in Australia by 2028, and plans to introduce as many as 10 new models in Australia over the next two years.

Kez Casey

Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.

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