On October 31, 2026, S.L. Horsford & Co. Ltd. hosted an official launch event at its Wellington Road showroom in Basseterre, St. Kitts, introducing the global GAC automotive brand and its full AION electric vehicle (EV) portfolio to the federation’s local market, marking the firm’s status as the exclusive authorized local distributor for the Chinese automaker. The long-awaited product rollout comes on the heels of progressive national policy adjustments implemented earlier this year: as of May 1, 2026, the St. Kitts and Nevis government, led by Minister of Public Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities Hon. Konris Maynard, slashed import duties on eligible fully electric passenger vehicles from 45% to 10% to accelerate low-carbon transportation adoption. This policy shift is a core pillar of the administration’s Decarbonised Roadway Initiative for Vehicle Electrification (DRIVE), a strategic framework designed to cut the nation’s heavy reliance on costly imported fossil fuels and shrink the transportation sector’s overall carbon footprint. Horsford’s newly expanded automotive catalog balances zero-emission options and practical internal combustion offerings to suit diverse local consumer needs: the all-electric AION range includes the family-friendly AION V, the high-end premium GAC HYPTEC HT, and the agile compact AION UT, while fuel-efficient petrol-powered models cover the GAC GS3 EMZOOM SUV and the tech-integrated GAC EMKOO. Every vehicle in the new lineup is backed by industry-leading protection packages, with a standard 8-year or 160,000-kilometre general vehicle warranty, plus a specialized EV battery warranty that extends up to 200,000 kilometres, with terms varying slightly by individual model. Wallis Wilkin, Group Marketing Manager for the Horsford’s Group of Companies, highlighted that the launch brings cutting-edge global electric mobility technology directly to local drivers for the first time, noting that the company’s partnership with GAC is a deliberate response to the government’s supportive EV policy framework. “The government has laid critical groundwork to make sustainable transport more accessible for our residents, and Horsford’s Automotive is proud to step forward with diverse, high-quality EV choices that will expand consumer options and pave the way for a cleaner, next-generation transportation system across the federation,” Wilkin remarked.