Great Wall Motor (GWM) is targeting to grow its overseas sales to over 1 million units annually by 2030, with high-end models contributing a third of the volume.

GWM announced this to the gathered international press at last week’s 2024 Beijing Auto Show.

Currently, GWM is present in 170 countries. Last year, it exported over 300,000 cars, an 85 percent increase from the year before.

GWM doesn’t provide a breakdown of its global sales by country / region, but a big contributor to the increase Russia. Following the Ukraine-Russia war, Japanese and Western manufacturers have pulled out from Russia, and Chinese manufacturers like GWM rushed in to fill the void.

Data compiled by the Association of European Business say GWM sold 138,462 cars in Russia last year. This means that more than a third of GWM’s overseas sales are coming from Russia.

The association also estimates that Russian exports by Chinese manufacturers jumped nearly threefold last year.

GWM has five brands. At the top end is Wey, followed by the ladder-frame off-road capable SUVs-only Tank, family-focused mid-range SUVs Haval, battery EVs (BEV) Ora, and Poer pick-up trucks.

GWM also has a battery manufacturing arm, SVolt.

In Southeast Asia. GWM operates its own battery and vehicle assembly plants in Thailand. The Chonburi battery plant supplies high voltage batteries to the Rayong plant (purchased from GM in 2020), which manufactures the Ora Good Cat and Haval H6 Hybrid.

In Malaysia, GWM only sells two models, both battery EVs (BEVs) – the Ora Good Cat and Ora 07.

Locally assembled (CKD), regular combustion engine / hybrid models are on the way. Earlier this year, GWM finalized a deal to appoint EP Manufacturing Berhad (EPMB) as its contract manufacturer, to locally assemble the Haval H6 and Haval Jolion in a new 20,000 units per year plant Melaka.

The Haval H6 was previously estimated to launch in Q2 2024, but looks very unlikely, based on current progress.

GWM Malaysia's next model launch will be the Tank 300. The model has a Toyota Fortuner-style ladder frame chassis but unlike the Fortuner, the Tank 300 doesn't come with a diesel engine, or third row seats. The 5-seater SUV has been previewed with a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine that makes 227 PS/387 Nm, paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission, with part-time 4WD.

The Tank 300 is currently on a promotional pre-launch tour, and it will be heading to Ipoh this weekend.