After successfully establishing itself in Thailand, Great Wall Motors (GWM) has reaffirmed their plans on the larger ASEAN region, with intentions to expand to Malaysia and three other countries later this year.

According to a press release by GWM, Elliot Zhang, President of Great Wall Motors ASEAN and Thailand, he said, “Currently, Great Wall Motors is officially present in 4 countries, namely Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Brunei. In an effort to expand further within the ASEAN region, we plan to launch GWM in 4 more countries, namely Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, and Singapore.”

Apart from their expansion plans, GWM has also confirmed that they will be launching another 5 more new models in Thailand, including the Haval H6 Plug-in hybrid (PHEV), as well as two more Ora electric vehicles (EVs).

This isn’t the first time GWM has voiced their intention to return to Malaysia. The Baoding-based company initially mentioned their Malaysian re-entry back in March 2021. Following that announcement, we also got up close and personal with several GWM models right here in Malaysia, including the Haval H6, Haval Jolion, and Ora Good Cat.

Also Read: Haval H6, China's No.1 selling SUV is confirmed for Malaysia. Should the X70 be worried?

The Haval H6 has been a sales leader in Thailand, can it challenge the Proton X70?

Since its debut in Thailand, the Haval H6 has managed to outsell the Honda CR-V for three months in a row.

Also Read: Honda CR-V outsold by not 1, but 2 Chinese SUVs in Thailand in Oct 2021!

Thailand’s Haval H6 is sold exclusively as a hybrid, powered by a petrol-electric turbocharged 1.5-litre hybrid that does a combined system output of 243 PS and 530 Nm.

Also Read: 4 new hybrid SUVs that Malaysians should wait for in 2022 - Honda HR-V, Toyota Corolla Cross, Haval H6, Jolion

As an imported (CBU Thailand) model, the Haval H6 will most certainly be more expensive than the locally-assembled (CKD) Proton X70.

Also Read: 2021 Haval H6 starts price war in Thailand - undercuts CR-V, complicates X70's export plans

If the Corolla Cross and HR-V are too mainstream, maybe wait for the Haval Jolion

Another candidate that could find its way to Malaysia is the Haval Jolion, an SUV that occupies the same bracket as the Honda HR-V and Toyota Corolla Cross. To a certain extent, the Jolion will also need to compete with the Proton X50.

Also Read: Malaysia-bound Haval Jolion launched in Thailand – Hybrid only, priced from RM 111k

In Thailand where the Jolion is currently on sale, it gets a petrol-electric hybrid that does a combined output of 243 PS and 530 Nm as the sole powertrain option.

Also Read: Haval Jolion debuts in Thailand, CKD at Rayong, export to Malaysia on the cards

Like the Haval H6, the Haval Jolion will most likely be imported (CBU) from Thailand.

Should Proton be worried?

Thus, at least in the near term, both the Haval Jolion and Haval H6 won’t pose much resistance to Proton, as their CBU nature would mean that both SUVs will most likely be priced higher than the X50 and X70.

AS for GWM’s distributor in Malaysia, we believe that Go Auto could continue distributing Haval-branded SUVs in Malaysia as their Facebook page is active again.

Speaking of GWM’s Malaysian Facebook page, a post dated 31-December teased a possible Malaysian line-up of GWM models, including the aforementioned Haval Jolion, Haval H6, GWM Cannon (Pao), as well as the Ora Good Cat.

Apart from GWM, another Chinese marque that is set to return to Malaysia is Chery. Like GWM, Chery's upcoming range will include several SUVs.

Also Read: Chery returning to Malaysia in Q3 2022 - Jaguar Land Rover tech, rivalling Proton X50 / X70