Great News

The Great Ute of China is Here - 22/06/2009

Great Wall Motors is the first Chinese car manufacturer to debut in the Australian and New Zealand markets after its dealer launch in Sydney today.

Two twin-cab utilities, the V240 in both 4x2 and 4x4 configurations and the SA220 in 4x2 only, are the first Great Wall models to be released onto the Australasian market. Both vehicles offer unparalleled value for money to Australian and New Zealand buyers.

The V240 4x2 will sell in Australia for a class leading $23,990 on road with the 4x4 option costing a modest $3,000 extra, while the SA220 will sell for a remarkable $19,990 on road. Both vehicles offer buyers superior equipment levels, including electric windows, alloy wheels, leather trimmed seats and air conditioning and a genuine opportunity to enter the new car market at the equivalent of a second-hand price.

Great Wall vehicles will be sold and supported initially in Australia by a nationwide network of over 45 dealers and have a comprehensive three year/100,000km warranty. The New Zealand range will be common to that sold in Australia with six dealers at launch.

Ateco Automotive, the Sydney and Auckland-based importer, has been negotiating to bring Great Wall to Australia for over three years. According to the Ateco Managing Director, Mr Ric Hull, "Great Wall is one of China's leading car makers and it has been consistently at the top of its domestic car market with its Ute and SUV models."

"This year China will make and sell more vehicles than any other country in the world. Every mainstream car and component manufacturer is represented there. Access to technology is virtually unlimited. China's car industry has come a long way in a very short time," he said.

"From day one we have been thoroughly impressed with Great Wall. World-class production facilities are becoming commonplace in China and there is no doubt that Great Wall has set a production benchmark. But what sets Great Wall apart is the corporate culture that permeates through the organisation. The company motto is 'Improving little by little every day' and from what we have seen the staff really do live and breathe this philosophy."

"Every time we go to Great Wall's head office in Baoding, we are impressed by the progress that has been made since our last visit. We targeted Great Wall for our Chinese plans because they are highly disciplined, organised and well led," said Mr Hull.

About Great Wall

Analysts are predicting that the Chinese automotive market will this year exceed 10 million vehicle sales replacing the USA as the largest market in the world. This significant milestone has been achieved almost a decade ahead of expectations. A discernible shift in the global automotive power bases is taking place, with every major automotive manufacturer actively trying to gain access or increase its influence in the world‟s most dynamic and fastest growing automotive market.

Great Wall Motor Company Limited is located in the industrial city of Baoding which is in the Hebei province of North East China, 140 km south of Beijing. The company was founded in 1976 and was the first Chinese automotive manufacturer to be listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Originally, the company specialised in manufacturing Pickups and Sports Utility vehicles achieving an outstanding reputation in the domestic and some overseas markets. These vehicles have been so well received that Great Wall has been China‟s No. 1 manufacturer of Pickups for the last 10 consecutive years and for the last five years Great Wall has been China‟s market leader in SUVs.

Today Great Wall boasts an ever-expanding range, including recently released light and small passenger vehicles as well as MPVs. The company owns more than 30 subsidiaries and employs over 22,000 staff. At present, it has a production capability of 400,000 units which is set to expand to 800,000 units by 2010.

Great Wall possesses a state-of-the-art research and development centre with first class international R & D equipment and systems and owns a nationally certified test centre, all of which lays a solid foundation for Great Wall‟s ongoing independent R & D and innovation program.

Over the next three years Great Wall plans to make substantial additional investment in production and R & D facilities. The total anticipated investment will approach A$2 billion. By 2010, the annual output of 800,000 units is expected to realise sales revenue in excess of A$6 billion.

The Great Wall Technical Centre is responsible for independent innovation activities such as product planning, product development, technical support and R & D management. It has an R & D team of about 3,000 people including some 500 experts and executives in various fields from both China and overseas. The Technical Centre has directly and closely co-operated with famous design and engineering companies both at home and abroad.

At the core of Great Wall lies its adherence to the management philosophy of “improving little by little every day”. These simple yet powerful words emblazoned on the factory wall underpin the thinking of every Great Wall employee and set the organisation apart from its competitors. An utter and total commitment to the power of relentless, small, sustainable improvements delivers a key competitive edge; distinguishing Great Wall from all other competitors.