Chinese buyers now have a special version of the popular GAC-Toyota bZ3X at their disposal, and it’s yet another model that the US sadly misses out on. Known as the Knight Edition, it may have a name that leaves a little to be desired, but it offers a stealthy appeal and remains remarkably affordable.

The differences between the Knight Edition and the standard bZ3X aren’t all that significant, but it could suit those who like their cars to be blacked out. In addition to sporting a black paint scheme, the Knight Edition features black badges at the front and rear and sits on a set of unique 18-inch wheels with black-and-silver aero covers.

Read: Toyota’s Cheapest EV Ever Costs $15,000, Gets 10,000 Orders In 60 Minutes

Two versions will be offered – the standard 520 Pro Knight Edition and the 520 Pro Lidar Knight Edition, with the latter obviously adding an advanced Lidar sensor above the windshield. Other key features of the bZ3X Knight Edition include an 11-speaker Yamaha audio system, heated, ventilated, and massaging front seats, and small tables that fold down from the backs of the front seats, just like in a commercial airliner.

A Small Battery, But Decent Range

No alterations have been made to the powertrain. As such, both 520 Pro models use the standard SUV’s 58 kWh battery pack and front-mounted electric motor, giving the GAC-Toyota model 201 hp and a driving range of up to 232 miles (520 km).

Interestingly, non-Knight Edition versions of the bZ3X can be configured with more power and more range in 610 Max guise. This version has a larger 68-kWh battery and an electric motor producing 221 hp, and it boasts a 379-mile (610 km) range.

The compact SUV stretches 4,600 mm (181.1 inches) long, 1,875 mm (73.8 inches) wide, and 1,645 mm (64.7 inches) tall, on a 2,765 mm (108.8-inch) wheelbase. Length and width line up with the RAV4, though it rides a couple inches lower. The wheelbase is where it pulls ahead, nearly three inches longer than the Toyota’s, which means more room for the people inside. At 1,835 kg (4,045 lbs), it weighs about what you’d expect from an electric crossover this size.

Local prices for the 520 Pro Knight Edition start at 114,800 yuan ($16,900), while the Lidar-equipped version runs 134,800 yuan ($19,900). By American standards both numbers look almost made up. The base car undercuts the bZ ($34,900) by more than half and lands roughly $15,000 under an ICE RAV4 ($31,900 before delivery). Even the pricier Lidar model comes in well below either one. Nothing sold in the U.S. gets even close.

Chinese buyers now have a special version of the popular GAC-Toyota bZ3X at their disposal, and it’s yet another model that the US sadly misses out on. Known as the Knight Edition, it may have a name that leaves a little to be desired, but it offers a stealthy appeal and remains remarkably affordable.

The differences between the Knight Edition and the standard bZ3X aren’t all that significant, but it could suit those who like their cars to be blacked out. In addition to sporting a black paint scheme, the Knight Edition features black badges at the front and rear and sits on a set of unique 18-inch wheels with black-and-silver aero covers.

Read: Toyota’s Cheapest EV Ever Costs $15,000, Gets 10,000 Orders In 60 Minutes

Two versions will be offered – the standard 520 Pro Knight Edition and the 520 Pro Lidar Knight Edition, with the latter obviously adding an advanced Lidar sensor above the windshield. Other key features of the bZ3X Knight Edition include an 11-speaker Yamaha audio system, heated, ventilated, and massaging front seats, and small tables that fold down from the backs of the front seats, just like in a commercial airliner.

A Small Battery, But Decent Range

No alterations have been made to the powertrain. As such, both 520 Pro models use the standard SUV’s 58 kWh battery pack and front-mounted electric motor, giving the GAC-Toyota model 201 hp and a driving range of up to 232 miles (520 km).

Interestingly, non-Knight Edition versions of the bZ3X can be configured with more power and more range in 610 Max guise. This version has a larger 68-kWh battery and an electric motor producing 221 hp, and it boasts a 379-mile (610 km) range.

The compact SUV stretches 4,600 mm (181.1 inches) long, 1,875 mm (73.8 inches) wide, and 1,645 mm (64.7 inches) tall, on a 2,765 mm (108.8-inch) wheelbase. Length and width line up with the RAV4, though it rides a couple inches lower. The wheelbase is where it pulls ahead, nearly three inches longer than the Toyota’s, which means more room for the people inside. At 1,835 kg (4,045 lbs), it weighs about what you’d expect from an electric crossover this size.

Local prices for the 520 Pro Knight Edition start at 114,800 yuan ($16,900), while the Lidar-equipped version runs 134,800 yuan ($19,900). By American standards both numbers look almost made up. The base car undercuts the bZ ($34,900) by more than half and lands roughly $15,000 under an ICE RAV4 ($31,900 before delivery). Even the pricier Lidar model comes in well below either one. Nothing sold in the U.S. gets even close.

Guangzhou Automobile Group, the Chinese giant most people just call GAC, is moving past the automobile and into the air. The company has started production of its very own eVTOL aircraft, the AirCab, built under its Govy mobility brand, with output capped at roughly 100 units per year.

The AirCab has already cleared every certification required for commercial operation and survived a full crash test program, so this is a finished product rather than a proof of concept. The fuselage uses lightweight carbon fiber composites, and six arms reach out from the cabin, each carrying a pair of propellers to generate lift.

Read: Porsche Built The Macan EV For The World, GAC Built A Bigger One For China

Limited technical details have been provided about the aircraft, but GAC has previously said it’s equipped with high-density cylindrical batteries that take just 25 minutes to fully charge. There’s no word yet on how far it can travel, but the range is expected to be limited.

While some companies are aggressively developing eVTOLs to usher in a new era of mass mobility, GAC has smaller ambitions for the AirCab. For now, it expects the aircraft to be used by tourism operators offering sightseeing services. Last year, GAC completed several demonstration runs in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, providing a glimpse of that key use-case.

No Pilot Needed

Not only is the AirCab electric, but it also supports Level 4 autonomous flying features. If hoping into the passenger seat of an autonomous robotaxi gives you the heebie-jeebies, then GAC’s eVTOL probably isn’t for you.

And as you’d expect from anything that flies itself, the AirCab isn’t cheap. Prices start at 1.68 million yuan, or roughly $248,000. At that kind of money, the tourism operators who actually buy one will probably charge an arm and a leg for even a short hop.

China’s GAC has expanded its EV lineup yet again, this time launching an electric SUV under its premium Hyptec sub-brand. It’s called the S600, and while the name won’t win any creative writing awards, the styling does some talking on its own. The crossover borrows more than a few cues from the Porsche Macan Electric, and pre-orders are already open.

Most modern SUVs trip over each other in the design department, and the S600 isn’t entirely innocent of that either. The upper sections of the headlights bear a clear resemblance to a certain Stuttgart silhouette. That said, the overall execution is genuinely clean.

Read: European Automakers Won’t Like What GAC And Magna Are Doing

GAC’s designers were clearly willing to sacrifice a bit of rear headroom and cargo space for a sleeker coupe-style roofline. The payoff is a particularly sharp tail section, anchored by intricate LED taillights and a configurable light bar that stretches the full width of the body.

Prioritizing Luxury

The new Hyptec model measures 5,015 mm (197.4 inches) long, 1,933 mm (76.1 inches) wide, 1,700 mm (66.9 inches) tall, and rides on a 2,936 mm (115.5-inch) wheelbase. That makes it noticeably larger than something like the Zeekr 7X, which is 4,787 mm (188.4 inches) long with a 2,900 mm (114.1-inch) wheelbase. Unsurprisingly, the S600’s cabin looks ready to swallow a family and all their luggage without much complaint.

A large central touchscreen is found in the center of the dash, while there’s also a separate digital gauge cluster. High-end metallic finishes are visible around the air vents and on the door panels, as well as around the center console, which houses a wireless phone charger. A large head-up display is also featured.

The rear of the cabin looks equally plush, with seatbacks that recline up to 143 degrees and deployable footrests. A 22-speaker audio system also comes standard.

GAC will sell both all-electric and range-extended versions of the S600. The pure electric version will be offered with lithium iron phosphate and ternary lithium batteries. While we don’t yet know their capacities, the driving range should range from 410 miles (660 km) to 497 miles (800 km). Power will be supplied to a single 335 hp (250 kW) electric motor.

The range-extended model will also feature a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine, increasing total driving range but limiting EV-only range to 143 miles (230 km).

Hot off the back of Honda’s $15.7 billion restructuring costs and a broader EV strategy overhaul announced last month, things aren’t looking good for Honda’s Chinese venture either. At least one of its automobile manufacturing plants in China will be closed by the end of June, according to a recent report.

The plant in question is part of their joint venture with Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC), following Honda’s China sales fall by some 24% in 2025 to just under 647,000 vehicles, roughly half of the 1.2 million sold in 2023.

Read: Honda Went To China, Saw The Future, And Reached Back To The 1960s

According to Reuters, another plant from Honda’s other JV with Dongfeng Motor may be shut soon, as the Japanese automaker tries to keep pace with a rapidly changing market. Demand for traditional petrol vehicles has dropped significantly, and local electric vehicle brands are increasingly taking market share from foreign manufacturers, putting them under increasing strain.

A Turning Point For Honda In China’s Evolving Market 

Honda has six plants as part of its alliances with GAC and Dongfeng, but sustaining ICE production looks increasingly difficult. Estimates indicate that closing a single ICE plant in each joint venture would halve Honda’s petrol car production capacity in China, dropping from 960,000 to approximately 480,000 cars per year. This would also reduce Honda’s total annual vehicle capacity in the country from 1.2 million to around 720,000.

This comes on the heels of a rough year for the automaker in China, where it posted a steep drop in sales. As yet, there have been no official announcements of closures by the company or its partners, but analysts expect some slowdown.

Honda’s ICE offerings have seen some impressive offers, indicative of their poor sales performance. For instance, GAC Honda was offering returning customers a hefty discount of $14,610 (100,000 yuan) off a new Accord e: PHEV earlier in the year.

The bigger picture is to shift investment toward electric vehicles, although Honda’s EV growth in China will likely remain slow, as competitors already outpace them in tech and consumers increasingly prefer cars better optimized for local integration and cutting-edge software.