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Great Wall Motors
Great Wall Motor Company Limited (GWM, in Chinese: 长城汽车) is the largest privately owned automotive manufacturer in China. It is the first privately owned auto company of China listed in the Hong Kong stock market and has obtained HKD 1.7 billion financial investment. With 10 plus years of rapid growth, GWM has accumulated enormous economic capacity, becoming the number one taxpayer consecutively for three years in the City of Baoding. It is among “the Top 500 Enterprises of China in 2004" and one of the best brands in national automobile range. GWM took its first step to become a truly global company by exporting SUVs to the competitive European market in September 2006. GWM already sells cars in about 60 (mostly developing) countries and exports account for about a third of the company's sales.[1]
Manufacturing plants
As of September 2006, it is believed that GWM has some near-future plans on opening a new manufacturing facility in Tatarstan, Russia, in a special economic zone [2], whilst Iranian motor firm Diar makes a number of Great Wall models under licence.
Outside China
- 660 Great Wall Deer pickups were handled over to Cuba in May, 2006, to replace ZIL 130 and 131, GAZ, KAMAZ and other old trucks and vehicles in Havana´s Electric Company . The ceremony included an special Hover as a gift to Fidel Castro [3] [4]
- Great Wall vehicles are sold in (besides others):
- Belarus
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Chile - Since January 24, 2006 with the Hover.
- Costa Rica
- Italy
- Russia
Copying claims
In December 2006 claims were made that Great Wall's new A-segment Peri (called Jing Ling in China) is a copy of Fiat's popular second-generation Panda. Fiat is currently considering legal action. [5]
