Great Wall to change Haval SUV logo later this year

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai March 21) - Great Wall, which sold a total of 490,000 vehicles last year, announced that it will be updating the logo of its popular Haval SUV series, nddaily.com reported today. The Haval series managed to bring in 165,000 sales for the manufacturer in 2011, and are the manufacturer's most profitable models. Due to market considerations, it will be near the end of the year before the logo change is completed.

The manufacturer has reportedly discussed the idea of changing logos and revising model names for its three major brands: Haval SUVs, Voleex sedans and Wingle pickup trucks. However, this plan was supposedly not implemented due to the implications it would have on the structure of Great Wall's sales network.

With growth in the Chinese automobile market noticeably slowing last year, Great Wall was one of the few manufacturers to still make a strong showing. Great Wall's sales grew 22.5 percent last year, well above the industry average, helping the manufacturer earn a place in Forbes magazine's list of 50 best publicly traded companies in the Asia-Pacific region. Great Wall's exports grew 50 percent last year, totaling 85,000 vehicles.

Great Wall's performance seems to be carrying into this year, with China Association of Automobile Manufacturers statistics confirming its sales result of 47,800 vehicles in February, placing it ahead of Chery, JAC and BYD in the sales charts. The manufacturer hopes to sell 600,000 vehicles this year, with 100,000 of those sales being made in overseas markets.