GWM to launch new bakkies and Haval SUVs in South Africa

Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motors (GWM) has undergone a name change and is embarking on a product offensive in South Africa this year with new SUVs and bakkies.

Having operated as Haval Motors South Africa since 2017, the local distributor reverts to the original GWM banner it used upon first entering the country in 2007. The company will continue to sell GWM one-tonne bakkies while its SUV ranges will be split under Haval, Tank and Wey brands, and its electric cars will carry Ora badges.

The first Ora, the 03 hatchback, was launched in South Africa last year, while the firm’s dedicated off-road marque made its local debut this month with the Tank 300, a hard-core off-road 4x4 with a ladder-frame chassis sold in three 2.0l petrol turbo variants priced from R725,950 to R851,950.

At GWM’s brand renewal conference in Johannesburg on February 27, COO Conrad Groenewald announced the larger Tank 500 luxury seven-seater will arrive later this year as a competitor to vehicles such as the Toyota Prado and Ford Everest.

He said other new offerings from Haval in the second quarter of 2024 will be the Jolion Pro and the H7. The Jolion Pro is a sportier incarnation of the brand’s compact SUV while the H7 will become the brand’s new flagship. Larger than the H6 and going up against rivals such as the Honda CR-V and BMW X3, it will be available in 2.0l petrol turbo guise (170kW/380Nm) with a choice of two- and all-wheel drive, and a 179kW/530Nm petrol-electric hybrid in two-wheel drive only.

On the bakkie side, the GWM P500 luxury 4x4 double cab will be launched in the second quarter of the year as the brand’s flagship bakkie, positioned above the one-tonne P-Series. It will be powered by a choice of a hybrid 2.0l petrol turbo powertrain with outputs of 255kW and 648Nm or a 2.4l turbo diesel with 135kW and 480Nm. It will feature a deluxe interior with a panoramic sunroof, electrically adjustable rear seats with heating, and wireless charging at the back.

With a length of 5,440mm the Chinese double cab is larger than rivals such as the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux. It has a novel electrically-operated split tailgate that can flip down in one piece in the traditional way or open horizontally in two sections, like barn doors.

GWM will provide pricing and more details of its new products at launch.

The company’s luxury Wey sub-brand is also under consideration for South Africa but not before 2025, said GWM marketing head Bianca van Staden. Wey was launched in 2016, focusing on premium crossovers and SUVs based on Haval models.

GWM, founded in 1990, established the Southern Africa subsidiary in 2007 with single and double cab bakkies that were later named Steed 5.

In 2017 it transformed from a national distributor to a wholly-owned subsidiary of GWM and sales spiked with the introduction of Haval SUV models and the GWM P-Series bakkie range. It has grown to become one of South Africa's top 10 brands in new-vehicle sales.