Five facts that you need to know about GWM in the Philippines

Great Wall Motor, now more commonly known as GWM, is not a new brand in the country. In fact, other attempts were made in the past to bring GWM into the mainstream, resulting in limited to no success. After several Chinese brands have already made their mark, a new distributor thought that it would be good to try again. After all, Filipinos are growing more and more acquainted with the newfound quality and innovations that Chinese cars now bring to the table. 

A few years ago might have been too early for GWM to enter, but now it seems like prime time for it the three-letter brand to shine once again. 

In GWM’s newest crop of crossovers, you might have noticed the “Haval” badges then coupled with the GWM badge somewhere off to the side. Perhaps this name will be a bit familiar to you, as it received a formal entry into the market sometime in the early to mid-2010s, only to be quietly shelved for the future. Now, Haval is making a return to the market, but this time with the GWM brand accompanying it. 

The name first appeared on June 8, 2005, when Great Wall launched the Haval CUV. The model was critically acclaimed and awarded by the CCTV as the “CCTV Chinese CUV Model of the Year” and “CCTV Chinese Independent Brand Model of the Year.” Fast forward a bit, and the brand was able to celebrate its first four-star rating from the EURO NCAP on March 1, 2006. 

Following the string of successes with the Haval name, and adding a few more accolades on top, the Haval brand earned its independence from the main GWM brand, on July 11, 2013. Now, that would explain the slight differences between true GWM products and Haval products, with Haval leaning more toward the crossover segments in recent years. As a result of this independence, Haval was able to focus more on innovation and segment-specific features that would give it an edge in the market. In the Philippines, Haval and GWM are joined at the hip, with GWM as the parent, and Haval as the sub-brand in the lineup. 

GWM is heading into the Philippine market all charged up and ready to go. The brand is bringing hybrid technology to the country but with a more affordable twist. GWM’s lineup is focused on value and focused on offering high-end hybrid technologies at a price point that a good chunk of the market can afford. The Haval Jolion is the entry point into the GWM lineup, but it still comes as an all-gasoline crossover with the high-end variant coming with a hybrid motor. Meanwhile, the H6 is all hybrid across its variants. 

The H6 is the “flagship” for the current lineup in GWM. Critically acclaimed and well-received in other markets, the Haval H6 has a hybrid powertrain with a turbocharged 1.5-liter gasoline engine and electric motor. Even with its rather demure engine size, the H6 makes 240 hp and 530 Nm of torque, more than what we typically see in diesel pickup trucks. Even the Jolion in its hybrid form with the 1.5-liter makes more than decent horsepower and torque figures, with 186 hp and 375 Nm of torque. Again, similar to a number of mid-tier pickup trucks. 

Whenever you think about the Great Wall of China, words like strength, length, and enduring are descriptors that come to mind. GWM made its first car in 1993, but its first pickup was made and exported in 1997, being one of the first Chinese brands to go global. The first region to receive GWM’s products was the Middle East. A year later, GWM went on to sell over 7,000 units of its pickups, and the company has kept its number one spot in the pickup truck segment of China for both domestic and international export volume—for over two decades now. 

Now, the Great Wall Cannon continues the brand’s legacy in the pickup truck segment in China and beyond. The Cannon carries a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine with 161 hp and 400 Nm of torque with either a six-speed manual gearbox or an eight-speed automatic. 

The company made autonomous and intelligent driving one of its main focuses back in December 2020. The thrust has allowed GWM to fit its cars with the latest and greatest safety technologies and also come up with solutions of its own. The company launched its 331 Strategy for Intelligence Driving, and the company wishes to achieve a large scale ahead of any other manufacturer. 

What this means is that GWM vehicles will offer smarter cars with active safety systems and features. Adaptive cruise is only the tip of the iceberg, as GWM’s current crop is already fitted with a suite of advanced driver assistance features which also include forward collision warning among a host of other assists. GWM cars, at least all or most of the top-of-the-line models will come with some of the “it” features of today. As far as value goes, GWM’s products are now something to monitor.

In 2021, GWM was the largest manufacturer of pickups and SUVs in China, a feat that allowed the brand to become the eighth-largest vehicle manufacturer in its home country with over 1.2 million units sold. 

GWM is also known for its Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), being the number one manufacturer for that classification of cars. Haval is a part of GWM’s success in the PHEV segment, and it also has another brand name, Ora, under it.