Great Wall announces plans to invest in Thailand

Great Wall Haval E concept

Chinese SUV and pick-up truck maker Great Wall Motor (Haval E concept pictured here) has announced plans for investment of up to US$340 million (RM1.05 billion) in Thailand, according to a China Car Times report.

The plans involve a new Thai manufacturing facility that will churn out low- to mid-range SUVs and pick-up trucks, both for the domestic market and for export to neighbouring Middle Eastern nations. The plant will have an initial capacity of 100k units per year, with a further 50k added per phase of expansion.

It was also reported recently that the Baoding, China-based firm will spin Haval off as a stand-alone higher-level brand to compete with marques like Land Rover and Jeep. Haval will also have separate sales outlets from GWM’s other brands, a move that will take between two and three years.

Great Wall Haval H5

In 2012, GWM sold 621,400 units globally, with SUV sales making up over 40% of that number. A total of 96,500 units were exported in the same year, and over a million Haval SUVs have been sold in over 100 countries worldwide as of March.

New models expected to launch this year are the Haval H2, Haval H8, Great Wall C50 2013 and Wingle 6 – the upcoming Auto Shanghai should see a few of these make their motor show debuts.

Great Wall was launched in Malaysia by franchise holder Green Oranges back in 2011 with the Haval H5 SUV (pictured above) and Wingle 5 pick-up truck. The two vehicles are assembled in Gurun, Kedah. Read our brief driving impressions here.

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.

Certified Pre-Owned - 1 Year Warranty

10% discount when you renew your car insurance

Compare prices between different insurer providers and use the promo code 'PAULTAN10' when you make your payment to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services.

Car Insurance

Jonathan James Tan

While most dream of the future, Jonathan Tan dreams of the past, although he's never been there. Fantasises much too often about cruising down Treacher Road (Jalan Sultan Ismail) in a Triumph Stag that actually works, and hopes this stint here will snap him back to present reality.

 

Comments

  • frenzyaustin on Apr 03, 2013 at 1:32 pm

    Who the heck want a SUV with a suicide door? Design fail concept.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 23
    • Hadi75 on Apr 03, 2013 at 4:46 pm

      Suicide door???where???only see scissor door…

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 0
      • frenzyaustin on Apr 03, 2013 at 8:44 pm

        Oops, sorry. Confused this two. Btw Scissors door on a SUV is still a stupid concept

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 5
      • Sam Loo on Apr 04, 2013 at 11:54 am

        Never trust people or companies from China. Its just a matter of time before your leather seat emits toxic poisons and kill you. If they can kill babies without remorse ie melamine in baby’s milk, anything is possible

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 6
  • abd karim on Apr 03, 2013 at 1:42 pm

    There goes another 1 bil investment to our neighbour
    cos as usual MITI still in slumberland and expects
    investors to beg them to invest in Msia.
    Where is the EEV policy which was said to be in the final stages? Heads must roll and it should begin from the top.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 25 Thumb down 6
    • if build in bolehland no quality maa….substandard material maa…cbu much better maa…onli rm10k less maa…nobody want to buy boleh build car maa…onli stupid company invest here maa…

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 12
  • Deepspace7 on Apr 03, 2013 at 2:47 pm

    Dear Great Wall Inc, why invest there laaaa? Don’t you know we have the Deep Sleep Automotive Policy…. eh sorry, sorry…. the Power NAP policy? ;-)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 3
  • gOOsh on Apr 03, 2013 at 4:58 pm

    good effort by China OEM… very soon japs & korean OEM (+ not to forget PROTON) will suffer more…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 13
  • Norman on Jun 11, 2013 at 4:50 pm

    If you’re looking into point A to B then can consider Chinese car or else spend your $$$ on a Korean marque.Although the design are tempting but safety and quality wise Malaysian car is much better..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
 

Add a comment

required

required