GAC Malaysia is having a public preview of the GAC Emkoo at the paultan.org Premium Auto Car Expo (PACE) 2025, which is being held at the Setia City Convention Centre this weekend, July 19–20. Distributor WTC Automotif (WTCA) also has the GAC M8 luxury MPV at its PACE stand, but we’ll be focusing on the Emkoo in this post.
The Emkoo is GAC’s second CKD locally assembled model after the GS3 Emzoom that was launched last year. If the Emzoom is a B-segment rival to the Proton X50, you can think of the Emkoo as its bigger brother, a C-segment SUV rival of the Proton X70 and Chery Tiggo 7 Pro, among others.
The distinctively-styled five-seater Emkoo is 4,680 mm long and 1,901 mm wide, which is a fair bit larger than the X70 – 154 mm longer and 70 mm wider, while the GAC’s 2,750 mm wheelbase is 80 mm longer.
Sitting on GAC’s Global Platform Modular Architecture (GPMA) shared with the Emzoom, the Emkoo is available elsewhere with 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engines, as well as a 2.0-litre hybrid powertrain.
The car on preview here is a 1.5 TGDI with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which is par for the C-SUV course here. With 177 PS and 270 Nm of torque from 1,400 and 4,500 rpm, it beats the X70’s outputs. WTCA claims fuel efficiency of 6.6L per 100 km.
Kit highlights include a ‘dual-screen cockpit’ (10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, 10.1-inch touchscreen), Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and Level 2 ADAS. There’s also what GAC calls a Full Automatic Parking Assist (FAPA) function, which you can sample at PACE as units are available for test drives.
The sub-RM150k SUV market is super competitive and the success of a product is heavily dependant on price. CKD assembled at Tan Chong’s Segambut plant, the GAC Emkoo will be available in two variants – the Premium from RM120,000 estimated and the Premium Pro from RM130,000. The Emkoo’s design certainly stands out, more so than the super-sharp Emzoom even – what do you think of this SUV’s looks and package?
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