- Great Wall Motor
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Great Wall Motor Co Ltd
长城汽车 or 長城汽車
Type Public Traded as SEHK: 2333 Industry Automotive Founded 1976 Headquarters Baoding, Hebei, China[1] Area served Worldwide Key people Wei Jianjun, Chairman of the Executive Directors Products Automotive goods Website www.gwm.com.cn Great Wall Motor Company Limited[2] (simplified Chinese: 长城汽车; traditional Chinese: 長城汽車; pinyin: Chángchéng Qìchē) (SEHK: 2333) is a Chinese automobile manufacturer formed in 1976. The company is named after the Great Wall of China. As of 2010 it is China's largest SUV producer.[3]
2010 production capacity is estimated at 500,000 units/year,[4] but sales that year fell short at less than 400,000 (near 0.2% market share) and exports remained a small portion of that figure at little more than 50,000,[5] no increase from 2009 figures.[6]
In 2010 the Great Wall Haval H series was the 2nd most-purchased SUV in China.[7] This may technically comprise two discrete models, the Great Wall Haval H3 and the Great Wall Haval H5.
Contents
History
A 2006 Great Wall SUV
Established in 1976,[8] Great Wall initially manufactured only trucks[citation needed] not producing a saloon car until 2008 due to lack of a state license.[9] The company has been a very successful producer of pickup trucks first reaching top position in the Chinese pickup market in 1998. By 2010, cumulative production of Great Wall pickups had reached 700,000.[8]
Making an initial public offering on the Hong Kong stock exchange on 15 December 2003,[10] Great Wall was the first private Chinese auto manufacturer to become a public company.[11] The company is considering listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange as well.[12]
- Export
At at time when many Chinese automakers only talked of exporting to developed, overseas markets such as Europe and the US,[citation needed] Great Wall entered the European market in 2006 selling small vans.[13] That same year saw it export products to around 60 countries.[14] It is, as of 2010, the only Chinese car manufacturer to sell in the EU.[6]
- Dakar Rally
Great Wall made an appearance at both the 2010 and 2011 Dakar Rally.[15] It plans to attend subsequent Rallies.[6]
Models
Main article: List of Great Wall modelsA wide model range can be had from Great Wall–from light trucks and SUVs to urban runabouts.
Electric vehicles
The company plans to sell electric vehicles domestically beginning in 2011.[3] It showed an all-electric SUV at the 2010 Guangzhou Auto Show.[16] China subsidizes oil[17] and wants its domestic automakers to begin selling electric vehicles for this reason. Some Chinese automakers also see opportunities in less mature electric vehicles because Western companies have yet to develop much of a lead in the technology.[18]
Sales outside China
Great Wall dealership in Adelaide, Australia.Great Wall products have been available in many places across the globe. These include Africa,[19] Australia,[20] Europe,[21] Melanesia,[citation needed] the Middle East,[22] Russia,[19] South America,[9] South Asia,[23] and the South Pacific.
By 2006 Great Wall had exported vehicles to around 60 countries.[14] These exports may be in the form of knock-down kits.[citation needed]
While Great Wall is engaged in export, nearly 70 percent of sales in 2009 came from central and western China.[1]
After-sale care training
The company offers an after-sales service training course for employees of overseas distributors.[24]
Safety
It is important to note that cars sold in the European Union, the Hover and Deer, were marketed as commercial vehicles exempting them from EU safety standards.[25] As of 2010, some Great Wall products including passenger vehicles and the new Hover (Haval H5) and Deer (Wingle 5) have obtained an EU whole vehicle type approval,[26] an EU regime that tests road vehicles and approves them for production and sale in Europe.[27]
Copying claims
The Great Wall Peri (left) and Fiat Panda (right).Famous-name Fiat has claimed that a Great Wall A-segment car, the Peri (Jing Ling in China), is a copy of its popular 2nd-generation Fiat Panda.[28] 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.”[29] A copyright infringement case in China did not see a similar outcome.[30]
Other Great Wall models may seem to be copied from those of foreign automakers, too. The Great Wall Florid, looks like a Toyota ist, the Great Wall Sailor/SA220 looks like an Isuzu Rodeo; and some older Great Wall Hover models may look like Isuzu Axioms, etc.[citation needed]
Production bases
Wingle at 2006 French car show (former logo can be seen in background)With a main[citation needed] manufacturing location in Baoding, Hebei province,[4] Great Wall has great plans for future production bases and facilities.
Planned production bases include a site in Tianjin, a direct-controlled municipality, that will see completion in 2013 or 2015.[31] The first phase of this facility may become operational in August 2011 adding 250,000 units/year capacity, and when the project reaches completion total capacity will be twice that.[32] Another 500,000 units/year base is also planned and will be built in Baoding. This second Baoding base may become operational by 2013[4] and may be located in Xushui county.[33] Production capacity figures may consider engines and vehicles as discrete.
Bulgaria
Together with the Bulgarian company Litex Motors, Great Wall has built a production base in the town of Lovech, Bulgaria, that became operational at the end of 2011. The plant will be expected to have a production capacity of 50,000 vehicles per year and employ a number of 1,800 people.[34] Production capacity figures may consider engines and vehicles as discrete. The models that will be produced at the new plant are Voleex C10, Steed 5 and Hover H5.[35] Sales of imported cars started in Bulgaria on September 26, 2011, at the International Fair Plovdiv, and the first dealership was opened in Plovdiv on October 18.[36] On November 14, 2011, the first vehicle, a Voleex C10, was manufactured at the Lovech plant. Cars produced at the new plant will be marketed from the early beginning of 2012,[37] and a first series of electric cars are also planned to be produced starting from spring.[38]
Knock-down factories
There have been at least eight overseas knock-down factories that produce Great Wall models from knock-down kits. Such knock-down exports are an easy way for Great Wall to gain access to developing markets without added after-sales service costs. Factories exist in Egypt,[39] Ethiopia,[39] Indonesia,[39] Iran,[39] Nigeria,[40] Russia,[39] Senegal,[39] Ukraine,[citation needed] Vietnam.[39]
These factories are not necessarily affiliated with or owned by Great Wall. Both the Iranian motor company Diar[41] and the Indonesian WICM,[citation needed] an Indomobil Group subsidiary, assemble Great Wall vehicles from knock-down kits.
A new such factory will become operational in 2013 in Brazil,[39] and by 2015 Great Wall plans for the existence of 24 such facilities.[39] These may appear in places such as Malaysia,[33] the Philippines,[33] South Africa[33] and Venezuela,[33] etc.
Technical center
In 2010 the company began construction of a technical center in Baoding, Hebei province.[42] Part of an R&D investment effort,[43] the center will see completion in 2012.[44]
References
- ^ a b Chinese Stimulus Winners at Great Wall Best Shanghai (Update1) bloomberg.com, September 29, 2009 23:47 EDT
- ^ Company Profile Great Wall Official Site
- ^ a b Great Wall Motor in green car push in 2011 reuters.com, Thu Sep 16, 2010 3:32am EDT
- ^ a b c "Great Wall targets growth". Global Times. 2010-12-08. http://www.globaltimes.cn/www/english/features/autoguangzhou/domestic/greatwall/2010-12/600083.html.
- ^ "Great Wall sales up 78.7% in first 11 months". Global Times. 2010-12-10. http://auto.globaltimes.cn/data/quarterly/2011-04/600994.html.
- ^ a b c With EU greenlight, Great Wall looks to expand globaltimes.cn, December 08 2010
- ^ Top 10 Best-Selling Sedans and SUVs in 2010 chinaautoweb.com, January 14, 2011
- ^ a b "Milestone". Great Wall Motors. http://www.gwm.com.cn/en/history.html. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
- ^ a b The new motor city money.cnn.com, Last updated: October 28, 2008: 10:03 AM ET
- ^ China Stock Market Handbook, pg. 195 Google Book Search
- ^ Shaking the Globe: Courageous Decision-Making in a Changing World By Blythe J. McGarvie, Robert Kraft, Pg. 140 Google Book Search
- ^ Great Wall, Lifan eye Shanghai listing globaltimes.cn, October 14 2010 (Google cache)
- ^ Two Billion Cars: Driving Toward Sustainability By Daniel Sperling, Deborah Gordon, Pg. 213 Google Book Search
- ^ a b Great Wall ships SUVs to Europe - Financial Times
- ^ "Great Wall participates in Dakar Rally again". Global Times. 2010-11-01. http://beijing.globaltimes.cn/business/2010-11/588369.html.
- ^ Great Wall to unveil first new energy vehicle globaltimes.cn, November 11 2010 (Google cache)
- ^
- China's fuel subsidy costs the world reuters.com, Wed Jun 4, 2008 8:08am EDT
- A rounder world threatens Asia's economies reuters.com, Fri Jul 4, 2008 7:13am EDT
- China to raise the price of fuel bbc.co.uk, 18:04 GMT, Thursday, 19 June 2008
- ^
- Mr. Heyi Xu, the president of Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co., Ltd. delivered a speech at the 2009 China (Changchun) International Automobile Forum BAIC Official Site, 2009-07-20
- Big bet on better battery-run cars chinadaily.com.cn, 2011-01-03
- ^ a b Great Wall Motor exports 300 M1s to Mali globaltimes.cn, July 22 2010 (Google cache)
- ^ Great Wall Motors Launches First Chinese-Made Cars Into Australian Market themotorreport.com.au, June 24th, 2009
- ^ "Great Wall Exports Haval H5 to Italy". ChinaAutoWeb.com. http://chinaautoweb.com/2010/06/great-wall-exports-haval-h5-to-italy/.
- ^ Great Wall Motor to expand its overseas market globaltimes.cn, July 16 2010 (Google cache)
- ^
- Great Wall Motor's vehicles hit Cambodian market globaltimes.cn, 08:58 January 18, 2010 (Google cache)
- Great Wall Motor to promote sales in Brunei this year globaltimes.cn, December 08 2010
- ^ Great Wall Motor Overseas Distributors Training Great Wall Official Site, 2010-9-24
- ^ More Chinese cars dodge tests automotive-business-review.com, 19-December-2005
- ^ Great Wall Motor boosts brand image with quality products globaltimes.cn, September 07 2010 (Google cache)
- ^ EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval - Introduction UK Department for Transport
- ^ re. "Fiat Is Considering Taking Legal Action To Stop Great Wall'S Panda Clone Being Sold In Europe". Italiaspeed.com. http://www.italiaspeed.com/2006/cars/financial/12/great_wall/1312.html. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
- ^ Great Wall banned from importing GWPeri minicar autonews.com, July 18, 2008 - 9:12 am EST
- ^ IN BRIEF (Page 9): Fiat's copycat suit rejected chinadaily.com.cn, 2008-09-22 08:10
- ^ Great Wall Motor to increase production capability fourfold by 2015 globaltimes.cn, December 08 2010
- ^ Greatwall’s Tianjin factory to come online soon and will focus on export market chinacartimes.com, June 3, 2011
- ^ a b c d e Great Wall sets sights on US greatwall.cn, September 13 2010
- ^ Great Wall Motor and Litex Motor signs $6M deal to build Bulgaria plant inautonews.com, October 20, 2009
- ^ Great Wall JV to Produce EU Cheapest Cars in Bulgaria novinite.net, June 12, 2011
- ^ Литекс Моторс откри дилърската мрежа на Great Wall в България greatwall.bg, October 19, 2011 (Bulgarian)
- ^ Топ качество от един от най-модерните заводи за коли в Европа greatwall.bg, November 14, 2011 (Bulgarian)]
- ^ 1st Bulgarian Electric Cars to Be Made in Lovech in 2012 novinite.net, October 11, 2011
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Great Wall Motor to build factory in Brazil by 2013 globaltimes.cn, August 19 2010 (Google cache)
- ^ "Great Wall Plans More KD Assembly Plants Overseas". ChinaAutoWeb.com. http://chinaautoweb.com/2010/08/great-wall-plans-more-kd-assembly-plants-overseas/.
- ^ History Diar Official Site
- ^ "News - Great Wall Motors". Gwm.com.cn. 2010-10-29. http://www.gwm.com.cn/en/newsDetail_1256111095687_1288425000750.html. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
- ^ China Great Wall Motor to invest $751 mln in R&D in 5 yrs reuter.com, Wed Oct 27, 2010 4:59am EDT
- ^ Great Wall Motor to build world-class center globaltimes.cn, November 23 2010 (Google cache)
External links
Great Wall Motor Compact cars SUVs Pickup trucks MPVs CowryVans ProteusCategories:- Companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange
- Motor vehicle manufacturers of the People's Republic of China
- Companies established in 1976
- Privately held companies of the People's Republic of China
- Companies based in Hebei
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