Great Wall Motor, one of China’s largest privately owned carmakers, is doubling down on its European ambitions. After several years of modest sales and growing competition from both European incumbents and Chinese peers, the company now plans a major manufacturing foothold on the continent.
According to executives, GWM teams are actively visiting and assessing potential sites in multiple countries, with Spain and Hungary among the leading candidates. The goal is ambitious: a plant capable of producing 300,000 vehicles annually by 2029. That capacity would make the factory a central pillar of GWM’s target to sell one million vehicles overseas each year by 2030.
The planned facility is expected to build a broad mix of powertrains, from internal-combustion engines to plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles. That flexibility should help GWM adapt to the patchwork of European regulations and customer preferences as countries move at different speeds toward electrification.
Behind the expansion is a challenging reality at home. China’s auto market is grappling with overcapacity and a brutal price war in EVs. Many Chinese brands see overseas growth as essential for maintaining scale and profitability. At the same time, Europe has raised tariffs on imported Chinese EVs, making local production more appealing.
GWM’s Ora brand, once seen as a potential EV breakout in Europe, saw registrations fall by more than 40% last year. By localizing production, GWM hopes to shorten supply chains, respond faster to market feedback and market itself as more than just an importer. If the project goes ahead as planned, it could significantly reshape competitive dynamics in Europe’s mass-market EV and SUV segments.