Great Wall Motors

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Great Wall Motors Co., Ltd.
TypePublic
SEHK: 2333
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1984; 37 years ago (1984)
HeadquartersBaoding, Hebei, China
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Wei Jianjun (Chairman)
  • Wang Fengying (CEO)
ProductsAutomobiles, engines, transmissions, electric vehicles
RevenueIncrease CN¥98.62 billion (2016)
Increase CN¥12.27 billion (2016)
Increase CN¥10.55 billion (2016)
DivisionsGWM
Haval
ORA
WEY
TANK
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese长城汽车股份有限公司
Traditional Chinese長城汽車股份有限公司
Great Wall Motors
Simplified Chinese长城汽车
Traditional Chinese長城汽車
Websitegwm.com.cn (Chinese)
gwm-global.com (Global)

Great Wall Motors Company Limited[1] is a Chinese automobile-manufacturer headquartered in Baoding, Hebei. Formed in 1984 and named after the Great Wall of China, the company is China's largest producer of sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) and pick-up trucks.[2] It sells passenger cars and trucks under the "Great Wall" brand, and SUVs under the "Haval" and "WEY" brands.

History[]

Great Wall Pegasus in Russia

Established in 1984, Great Wall began with low volume production trucks such as the CC130. They later made the CC513, using the chassis from the Beijing BJ212. In 1993, they started producing a series of different passenger vehicles, starting with a sedan called the CC1020, with styling heavily resembling the Nissan Cedric Y30. This was followed by the CC1020S with styling based on the Toyota Crown (S130) along with a station wagon version, the CC6470. Other early Great Wall models includes a BJ212-based crew cab pickup (also called CC1020S) a BJ212-based station wagon, the CC6490 and a small sedan, the Hawk CC6470. In 1994, the Chinese government halted the production because Great Wall didn't have the right permit for car productions.[3]

In 1996, Great Wall focused on only trucks, not producing another sedan car until 2010.[4] The company has been a very successful producer of pick-ups first reaching top position in the Chinese pick-up market in 1998.[5]

Making an initial public offering on the Hong Kong stock exchange on 15 December 2003,[6] Great Wall was the first private Chinese auto manufacturer to become a public company.[7] On Sept. 27, 2011, the company announced it had sold 304 million domestic A shares, and began listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange the next day.[8]

Sales in 2010 were measured at less than 400,000 (near 2% market share)[clarification needed] with exports a small portion of that figure at little more than 50,000,[citation needed] no increase from 2009 figures.[citation needed] That same year saw the Great Wall Haval H series as the second most-purchased SUV in China[9] although this figure may technically include two discrete models, the Great Wall Haval H3 and the Great Wall Haval H5.[citation needed]

Manufacturing for 2011 resulted in 486,800 units, and output this year was the tenth largest of any vehicle maker in China.[10] In 2012, it was reported that the company only allows workers one day off per week and new hires undergo months-long, military-style training.[11]

Great Wall started selling in Europe in 2006, offering small vans.[12] A lot of 500 SUVs were shipped to Italy in 2006 as well.[13] Great Wall products were first available in the Australian market in 2009,[14] and the company was, as of 2010, the only Chinese car manufacturer to sell in the EU.[citation needed] European sales continue, with the 2011 opening of a factory in Bulgaria that assembles three different models from knock-down kits.[15]

In April 2017, Great Wall Motors released a new premium SUV brand named WEY.[16]

In May 2017, the company launched its first electric new energy vehicle, Great Wall C30EV.[17]

In July 2018, Great Wall and German manufacturer BMW announced a partnership to produce electric Mini vehicles in China.[18]

In January 2020, Great Wall Motor stated that it will buy the car plant of General Motors in India as part of the company's aim to manufacture and sell cars in India.[19]

In February 2020, Great Wall Motor started that it will buy car manufacturing plant of General Motors Thailand (Rayong Province).[20]

Sales and operations[]

The company's former logo is visible on this Wingle at the 2006 Paris Auto Show

Within China[]

A Litex Motors-produced 2012 Great Wall Voleex C10 in Sofia

Great Wall's primary base of operations is located in Baoding, Hebei province.

A site in Tianjin began operating in 2011.

A second base of operations in Baoding become operational in October 2013, located in Xushui county.[21]

Outside of China[]

A Great Wall dealership in Adelaide, Australia

Great Wall products are available in many places across the globe, with many third-party factories producing models from knock-down kits, such as those located in Bulgaria,[22] Ecuador,[23] Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran,[24] Nigeria,[25] Russia, Senegal, Ukraine,[26] and Vietnam.

In Europe, Great Wall Motors is present in Romania,[27] Bulgaria,[28] North Macedonia,[29] Italy,[30] Serbia,[31] and the United Kingdom.[32]

In the Americas, Great Wall Motors first landed in Paraguay,[33] and now it is present in Belize, Ecuador,[34] Chile,[35] Costa Rica[36] and Uruguay,[37] Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, and Guatemala.

Brazil[]

On 18 August 2021, the company announced the start of operations in Brazil with the acquisition of a former Mercedes-Benz plant in the city Iracemápolis, Minas Gerais. The annual production capacity will reach 100,000 vehicles, and will create nearly 2,000 local jobs. The production will cover both Brazil domestic market and the rest of South America.[38]

Bulgaria[]

See also: Litex Motors

Together with the Bulgarian company Litex Motors, Great Wall has a production base in Bahovitsa,[22] near the town of Lovech, Bulgaria, that became operational in February 2012.[39] As of 2012, the factory had the capacity to assemble 2,000 cars per year[40] from knock-down kits.[15] Initially only making the Voleex C10, the factory later added production of an SUV and a pick-up, the Hover 6 and the Steed 5.[15]

As of January 2015, the company had a production output of about 5,000 vehicles per year (the Hover H6 and the Steed 5 models) and was planning to reach up to 8,000 vehicles within a year or two.[41] By mid-2016, the company had a total of 14 dealerships in 12 Bulgarian cities, three of them in the capital Sofia.[42]

India[]

In 2020, Great Wall announced its plans to acquire the General Motors India manufacturing facility in Talegaon, Maharashtra, with an intent to launch sales in 2021.[43]

In June 2020 it committed to a phased investment of $1 billion but no date was confirmed for the start of production,[44] despite the expectation for confirmation of the investment approval by the Indian government by the end of 2020.[45]

Iran[]

The Iranian motor company Diar has assembled Great Wall vehicles from knock-down kits.[24]

Russia[]

In September 2015, Great Wall Motors broke ground on a new plant located in the Tula Region, Russia.[46] The plant is slated to have a total production capacity of 150,000 units per year if the project is successful enough to warrant a second phase of expansion.[47] Initially scheduled to open in 2017, the facility is touted as an "all-process vehicle plant",[46] which may indicate it is on a larger scale than other overseas assembly shops.

Thailand[]

As of 2013, Great Wall Motors had plans to invest $340 million (฿11,191.44 million) for a new factory in Thailand,[48] but this expansion effort was shelved in early 2014.[47] On February 17, 2020, General Motors announced it will withdraw from the Thai market and sell its Rayong plant to Great Wall Motors by the end of the year.[49] On 30 September 2020, Great Wall Motors signed a share sales and purchase agreement with General Motors to acquire GM's production facilities in Rayong, with a plan to begin production in the first quarter of 2021 with automobile production capacity of 80,000 units annually.[50]

Great Wall Voleex C10 at the 2010 Santiago Autoshow in Chile

Research and development[]

While R&D activities commenced in 1998,[26] in 2010 the company began construction of a technical center in Baoding, Hebei province.[51] Part of an effort to increase R&D investment,[52] the center may become fully operational in 2013 as Great Wall states it will obtain "world-leading R&D... and technical ability" by that year.[26]

Currently, component design may rely heavily on foreign technical assistance, and some hard-to-source parts may be provisioned from overseas;[citation needed] the company states it has cooperative agreements with companies such as Autoliv, Delphi Automotive, BorgWarner, Robert Bosch GmbH, the German company Brose, Ricardo plc, TRW Automotive, and Valeo in regards to specific parts such as engines, transmissions, door locks, and airbags, etc.[26] As of 2009, some models used Mitsubishi engines and Siemens electronic systems—both sourced in China.[53]

In January 2016, GWM has announced the creation of a R&D center in Yokohama, Japan as part of a strategy to enter the Japanese auto market.[54]

In June 2016, GWM has announced the creation of a R&D center in Bangalore, India as part of a strategy to enter the Indian auto market.

Brands and Products[]

The Haval badge is visible on this H9 seen at a Chinese dealership in 2015

While its entire model line initially carried the same badge, the company planned around 2010 to begin differentiating its SUV, passenger car, and pick-up truck offerings naming them Haval, Voleex and Wingle respectively.[26]

Havals became independent around 2013,[55] with Great Wall recognizing this on their website stating in March 2013, "[The] Haval brand became independent officially, bringing GWM into an era of dual brand of Haval and Great Wall."[56] Around 2016, Voleex was dropped, and by 2020, it was reported that the firm would not be selling Great Wall branded passenger cars at all anymore (at least in certain international markets) as all their SUVs would carry the Haval name, whilst their pick-ups, including the replacement for the Great Wall Steed (known as the Model P/Poer/Cannon ute[57][58][59]), will be branded under the GWM marque.[60][61]

Additionally, Great Wall has spawned three speciality brands — WEY in 2017 for luxury vehicles, ORA in 2018 for Electric Vehicles, and TANK in 2021 for luxury off-roaders.

GWM[]

Main article: List of Great Wall models

As the core brand of Great Wall, GWM originally produced many types of vehicles, but has since evolved to focus on trucks.

Haval[]

Main article: Haval (marque)

Haval is Great Wall's SUV brand.

WEY[]

Main article: WEY (marque)

Launched in 2017 and named after GWM founder Jack Wey, WEY is Great Wall's luxury marque, focusing on crossovers and SUVs.

TANK[]

Main article: TANK (marque)

Tank is Great Wall's luxury off-road marque. Originally meant to be a sub-brand under WEY, TANK became independent when Great Wall launched the TANK 300 due to the significantly different styling and brand proposition.

ORA[]

Main article: ORA (marque)

ORA is positioned as GWM's new generation electric car and brand. The marque was officially launched with its first model ORA iQ on August 20, 2018.

Motorsport[]

Team Great Wall #307 in the 2012 Dakar Rally

The company made appearances at the Dakar Rally previously. In 2010, it first entered the race as car #389,[62] with a modified model based on Haval H3,[63] and ranked 33rd.[64] The next year it finished 22nd as car #373.[65][66] Its best rankings were achieved in the 2012 and 2013 editions, when the team finished 6th.[67][68] At the 2014 edition, the team had been competing with the new Haval H8 model, and finished in 8th.[69][70] Since 2015, the company decided to quit Dakar Rally, but kept participating in other domestic rally races.[71]

Controversies[]

The Great Wall Peri (left) and Fiat Panda (right)

Accusations of Copied Designs[]

Italian automaker Fiat has claimed that a Great Wall A-segment car, the Peri (Jing Ling in China), is a copy of its popular second generation Fiat Panda.[72] A 2008 Turin court ruling substantiated the claim stating that the Great Wall Peri, “doesn’t look like a different car but is a [Fiat] Panda with a different front end.”[73] A copyright infringement case in Shijiazhuang, China, however, was rejected, with the court claiming that "consumers would not be confused between the two" as they are "clearly different, particularly the front and rear parts of the vehicles".[74]

Other Great Wall models were also inspired by products of foreign automakers. The Great Wall Florid looks like a Toyota ist, the Great Wall Sailor/SA220 looks like a Nissan Frontier, the Great Wall Coolbear is essentially a carbon copy of the first-generation Scion xB, and the original Great Wall Hover model looks like the Isuzu Axiom.[75][76]

Recalls[]

An Australian importer recalled Chinese-made cars of several brands including Great Wall due to discoveries of asbestos in gaskets.[77] There is an ongoing verification process in Europe to evaluate the presence of asbestos.[78][79]

References[]

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