GAC Motor PH previews all-new M8 luxury minivan, pricing to start below Php 3.1M

Just a few months after announcing its arrival in the Philippine market next year, GAC Motor Philippines, under the distributorship of Astara Philippines, previewed to members of local motoring media and content creators the all-new GAC M8, alongside the refreshed GAC M6 (formerly GN6) which is also set to enter the local market.

Set to compete directly with the very popular Toyota Alphard, the GAC M8 was first unveiled in China last year, during the 2022 Chengdu Motor Show, as the second generation of the GAC GN8/GM8. Surprisingly, the all-new M8 already seems to be having good reception locally with several gray market examples already on our streets.

Looking at its exterior, it is definitely imposing with the large front grille and LED headlights, and the wraparound LED taillights at the rear. Its interior is also very modern with large screens, and makes use of premium materials. It also features aircraft business class-like seats like we can see on the Toyota Alphard.

Among its confirmed features are full LED exterior lighting, 18-inch alloy wheels, dual power sliding doors, heated and ventilated second row seats with massage function, 14.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, 8-speaker audio system, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and a full suite of advanced driver-assist safety tech, dubbed by GAC Motor as ADiGO, among others.

As for its powertrain, we can expect under the hood of the all-new M8 a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine that produces 251 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

Another option that we hope could come as it can compete directly with the Toyota Alphard is still a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with 190 hp but paired with a 181 hp electric motor that is sourced from Toyota.

The GAC M8 is set to be officially launched by the first quarter of next year with two variants to be made available. The first is the regular M8 which will have a price of between Php 3-million to Php 3.1-million, and the second is the M8 Master which will be priced between Php 4-million to Php 4.1-million. Reservations are already being accepted at all GAC Motor dealerships nationwide.

Do you think it has what it takes to eat into the segment dominated by the Toyota Alphard?