The Festival of Motoring this year was very good for the media, as we saw many cars being announced to launch in our market soon. Many caught our eye, but not quite like what GAC had in store. Among the radical vehicles we had seen, GAC went out to showcase an MPV, and a few months later it is available for purchase. Meet the all-new GAC M8 Master.
This is an MPV like no other, aimed at the more premium end of the market, appealing to Mercedes-Benz V- Class lovers and Hyundai Staria bus enthusiasts. It promises not only to bring the looks but also a whole luxury and elegant appeal to its segment.
The looks of the car are unmistakable and very bold at first glance, as the car features one of the biggest grilles we have seen fitted to a car, called a Star Diamond Prism grille, and it is complemented by the "Lion Fang" LED signature lighting.
The car measures 5, 212 mm in length and features dual power sliding doors, chrome piping on the window seals, and almost everywhere you can place your eyes. To finish it off, you have blinged-out 18-inch wheels that resemble the appearance of the Mercedes-Benz Mono-Block wheel design.
The rear is also as shouty as the front, believe it or not, featuring an LED light bar design that spans the whole width of the inductive electric tailgate.
Let's take a look at the very important part of the vehicle that will be carrying you A-listers, the inside. Here, customers will benefit from Olympus Brown and Black & Red Nappa leather, an 8-speaker YAMAHA audio system, and ADiGO virtual arena acoustics, as well as a sectional panoramic sunroof that spans the driver and second-row seats.
The interior layout for the driver features a stitched dash that houses a massive 10.1-inch central infotainment screen, complemented by the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, which are both configurable and pairable with your smartphone wirelessly. Wireless charging and multiple USB-C ports across all rows ensure that modern connectivity is always at hand, reinforcing the M8 Master's commitment to intelligent, effortless luxury.
The M8 is as safe as it is polarizing and hard to miss. The GAC stable has loaded it with all the necessary safety assistance systems at L2+ semi-autonomy. These include advanced systems such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Keep Assist, Traffic Jam Assist, Blind Spot Detection, Rear Cross Traffic Braking, Traffic Sign Recognition , and Fusion Automatic Parking Assist, to name a few.
Driving this car will be a 2.0T plug-in hybrid powertrain producing a combined 274 kW of system output, paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. Not that anyone would try achieving this, but GAC claims the M8 does 0-100 km/h in just 8.8 seconds and delivers a combined range of over 1,000 km, including up to 106 km of pure electric driving. Altogether, the engine is claimed to produce a fuel consumption figure of just 8.8 L/100 km.
The GAC M8 Master will cost you R1,499,900.
The GAC M8 Master comes with a 5-year/150,000 km warranty and an 8-year/150,000 km warranty on EV battery components, complemented by 5 years of comprehensive roadside assistance. Accompanied with a 5-year/100,000 Maintenance Plan.