Great Wall Motor Co., Ltd. (GWM) is a Chinese privately owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Baoding, Hebei. Founded in 1984, it is currently the eighth largest automobile manufacturer in China, with 1.281 million sales in 2021.
The company produces and sells vehicles under its own branding, such as GWM, Haval, WEY, TANK, POER, ORA. It also produces electric vehicles under some of the previously listed brandings, including dedicated EV brands such as ORA.
Named after the Great Wall of China, the company is China’s largest producer of sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) and pick-up trucks. In 2021, it was the third largest Chinese plug-in electric vehicle manufacturer in the Chinese market, with 4% of market share, selling under brand names such as Ora and Haval.
| Website | gwm.com.cn (Chinese) gwm-global.com (Global) |
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Great Wall Motor Co., Ltd. history, profile and corporate video
Great Wall Motor Co., Ltd. manufactures and sells automobiles, automotive parts and components. The company engages in the design, research and development, manufacture and sale as well as distribution of SUVs, sedans, pick-up trucks and automobile-related parts and components. It also manufactures core parts and accessories such as engines, front and rear axles, air-conditioning equipment drag ball pins, lever assembly and other parts and components for the production of automobiles. The company was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Baoding, China.“
“Great Wall Motor History
Established in 1984, Great Wall initially manufactured only trucks not producing a saloon car until 2010. 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.
Making an initial public offering on the Hong Kong stock exchange on 15 December 2003, Great Wall was the first private Chinese auto manufacturer to become a public company. The company is considering listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange as well.
Sales in 2010 were measured at less than 400,000 (near 2% market share) with exports a small portion of that figure at little more than 50,000, no increase from 2009 figures. That same year saw the Great Wall Haval H series as the 2nd most-purchased SUV in China although this figure may technically include two discrete models, the Great Wall Haval H3 and the Great Wall Haval H5.
Manufacturing for 2011 resulted in 486,800 units, and output this year was the tenth largest of any vehicle maker in China. 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.
Great Wall started selling in Europe in 2006, offering small vans. A lot of 500 SUVs were shipped to Italy in 2006 as well. Great Wall products were first available in the Australian market in 2009, and the company was, as of 2010, the only Chinese car manufacturer to sell in the EU. European sales continue, with the 2011 opening of a factory in Bulgaria that assembles three different models from knock-down kits.”
*Information from Forbes.com and Wikipedia.org
**Video published on YouTube by “Great Wall Motor“
