Great Wall

Great Wall Motor Company Limited (GWM, in Chinese: 长城汽车) is a Chinese automobile manufacturer formed in 1976. It is the largest privately owned automotive manufacturer in China and the first privately owned car manufacturer from China to be listed in the Hong Kong stock market. It has obtained HKD 1.7 billion financial investment.

With 10 plus years of rapid growth, GWM has accumulated enormous economic capacity, becoming the number one taxpayer consecutively for three years in the City of Baoding. As of 2010, it is China's largest SUV maker and it is among “the Top 500 Enterprises of China in 2004", making it one of the best brands in national automobile range.

GWM took its first step to become a truly global company by exporting SUVs to the competitive European market in September 2006. GWM already sells cars in about 60 (mostly developing) countries and exports account for about a third of the company's sales.

The company is named after the Great Wall of China.

History
Established in 1976, Great Wall initially manufactured only trucks, not producing a sedan until 2008 due to lack of a state license.

IPO
Making an initial public offering on the Hong Kong stock exchange on December 15, 2003, Great Wall was the first private Chinese auto manufacturer to become a public company.

Export
Hailed as an example of a Chinese automaker which not only talked of exporting to foreign markets such as Europe and the US, Great Wall entered the European market in 2006, selling small vans. That same year saw it exporting products to around 60 countries.

Recent Events
Over 70% of 2010 sales will be light trucks and pick-ups.

Production bases
Great Wall's main manufacturing location is in Baoding, Hebei province.

Bulgaria
Together with a Bulgarian company, Litex, Great Wall is building a production base in the city of Lovech, Bulgaria that, when it becomes operational in 2011, will have a production capacity of 50,000 vehicles per year.

Knock-down factories
There are at least six overseas knock-down factories that produce Great Wall models from complete knock down kits: in Russia, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria, Ukraine and Vietnam. These factories are not necessarily affiliated with or owned by Great Wall. Both the Iranian motor company Diar and the Indonesian WICM, an Indomobil Group subsidiary, assemble Great Wall vehicles from complete knock down kits.

Technical center
On 2010 the company began construction of a technical center in Baoding, Hebei province. Part of an R&D investment effort, the center will see completion in 2012.

Sales outside China
Great Wall exports to Africa, Australia, Europe, Melanesia, the Middle East, Russia, South America, South Asia, and the South Pacific.

By 2006 Great Wall was exporting vehicles to around 60 countries. These exports may be in the form of complete knock down kits.

While Great Wall may tout its export prowess, nearly 70 percent of sales in 2009 came from central and western China.

The company offers an after-sales service training course for employees of overseas distributors. Traveling to China to learn proper service methods, the trainees leave with a better sense of how to maintain Great Wall products, both retired and current.

It is important to note that cars sold in the European Union, the Hover and Deer, are marketed as commercial vehicles, exempting them from EU safety standards.

Electric vehicles
The company plans to sell electric vehicles domestically, beginning in 2011.

Copying claims
Many Great Wall models bear resemblance to other automakers’ offerings. For example, the Great Wall Coolbear looks like a Scion xB, the Great Wall Florid, a Scion xA, and a great similarity between the Great Wall Sing and the Nissan Paladin prompted this Japanese carmaker to consider legal action in 2003.

Banned model
In 2008 an Italian court banned sales of the Great Wall Peri in the European Union because the car too closely resembles a Fiat Panda. Great Wall continued selling the car outside the EU, however.

Models
A wide model range can be had from Great Wall, from light trucks to urban runabouts.

SUV

 * Great Wall Haval H3
 * Great Wall Haval H5
 * Great Wall Haval M2
 * Great Wall Hover (Changcheng Hafu)

Pick-up

 * Great Wall Deer (Changcheng Dier)
 * Great Wall Wingle (Changcheng Fengjun)
 * Great Wall Wingle 5

City car

 * Great Wall Coolbear (Changcheng Kuxiong)
 * Great Wall Florid (Changcheng Xuanli)
 * Great Wall Peri (Changcheng Jingling)
 * Great Wall Haval M1 (Great Wall Peri 4x4)
 * Great Wall Voleex C10 (Great Wall Ling Ao, Phenom, i7)

MPV

 * Great Wall Cowry (Changcheng Jiayu)

Sedan

 * Great Wall Voleex C30

Discontinued Models

 * Great Wall Safe (Changcheng Saifo/Saifu)
 * Great Wall Sailor
 * Great Wall Sing
 * Great Wall SoCool
 * Great Wall Pegasus
 * Great Wall Proteus

Concept Models

 * Great Wall Hover H7 Concept
 * Great Wall CHC011 Concept