Great Wall Motor’s first model under the ZX brand will be a premium new-energy sedan in the D+ class, with a length of around 5,500 mm, according to local media.
(A rendering of Great Wall Motor’s first model under the ZX brand was shared by Auto Home.)
Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor plans to launch a new brand under the internal codename ZX, whose first model will be a premium new-energy sedan in the D+ class, with a length of around 5,500 mm, according to a report by local automotive media outlet Auto Home today.
The new brand’s products will not be sold through Great Wall Motor’s existing channels, the report said.
A rendering of the sedan shows that it has a wide front end and a slim overall shape, the report notes.
It will be longer than China FAW’s Hongqi H9 and Rolls-Royce Ghost, with the latter two measuring 5.1 meters and 5.546 meters respectively, the report said.
Great Wall Motor currently has sub-brands including Haval, Wey and Tank, and sales are still dominated by internal combustion engine vehicles.
The automaker’s new energy vehicle (NEV) sales in January were 24,988 units, up 295.82 percent year-on-year but down 16.31 percent from December, according to data it released yesterday.
Great Wall Motor has yet to announce its total vehicle sales for January. In December, its 29,858 NEV sales contributed 26.54 percent of total sales, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.
The company currently relies on a dealer network for its sales, though it is reportedly considering a direct sales system to ramp up its efforts in the NEV segment.
Great Wall Motor is internally exploring the option of setting up direct stores for its NEV models and has already begun recruiting talent, local media outlet LatePost said in a January 31 report, citing several people familiar with the matter.
The company has brought in a number of talents with experience in direct store management, including Feng Fuzhi, who was once retail director at Li Auto, a person familiar with the matter said.
Great Wall Motor’s five brands launched a total of 10 NEVs in 2023, but its existing dealer network is mostly located in China’s lower-tier cities and non-core areas in higher-tier cities, which is not conducive to the expansion of its NEV sales, the report said.
Great Wall Motor looking to open direct sales outlets, with initial numbers likely to be around 100
