Great Wall Motor (GWM) has reaffirmed its commitment to the ASEAN region, with the announcement of its plans to expand into four new markets this year, including Malaysia.
The return to the Malaysia market was announced by GWM ASEAN and Thailand president, Elliot Zhang, as part of his 2022 outlook briefing during GMW Thailand’s Brand Day 2022 event this week, celebrating the marque’s successful first year in the Land of Smiles.
“Great Wall Motor will utilise its foothold in Thailand to further expand towards the entire ASEAN region. This year, we plan to launch GWM in four more countries, namely Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, and Singapore,” Zhang said during the presentation. The brand is currently present in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Brunei.
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The return of the brand in Malaysia will likely be headlined by three models: Haval Jolion and H6, as well as the Ora Good Cat EV – all three have been previously sighted in Malaysia in one form or another.
All three models will likely be sold as CBU units here in Malaysia, built in GWM’s recently-acquired manufacturing plant in Rayong, Thailand. The company also said that they are continuously investing in the plant, which will serve as the production hub for the ASEAN market.
The Haval Jolion and H6 were both launched in Thailand in 2021. The former is a B-segment SUV competing with the likes of the Honda HR-V and Toyota Corolla Cross, and is sold exclusively in the country as a hybrid model with a combined output of 190 hp and 375 Nm.
The Haval H6 SUV meanwhile has since become one of the best-selling models in the C-SUV segment in Thailand during the last few months of the year, even out-performing the Honda CR-V. Just like the Jolion, it’s also only available with a 1.5-litre hybrid powertrain that makes a total of 243 hp and 530 Nm.
The Ora Good Cat meanwhile is a fully-electric model hatchback offering 143 hp and 210 Nm of torque, and up to a 63.1-kWh battery pack for a driving range of roughly 500 km.
All three models are likely to be distributed by GWM’s existing partner Go Auto, who recently teased several new models under the GWM umbrella on its social media channels.
Aside from its regional expansion plans, GWM also announced that they will be adding 5 more new models to its line-up in Thailand. They should all include electrification of some sort, especially since the company is investing heavily into EV infrastructures in the company, with up to 55 charging stations nationwide planned by the end of 2022.
According to GWM Thailand Managing Director Narong Sritalayon, Thailand’s total annual car sales is forecasted to reach 850,000 units in 2022, of which roughly 94,000 (11.4%) is expected to be electrified models, more than double the amount sold last year.
