Gasgoo Munich- Great Wall Motor plans to establish a production base in Lovech, Bulgaria, Chief Technology Officer Wu Huixiao said on October 27 at the GWM Raptor launch event in Milan. The project marks the automaker's move from vehicle exports toward local manufacturing in Europe.
Image source: GWM
Key Takeaways
·GWM plans to complete the production-line retrofit by the end of 2026, giving the plant an annual capacity of 50,000 new energy vehicles. The GWM ORA 5 is expected to become its first model, with production scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.
·The automaker established its European R&D center in Munich in 2021 to support localized vehicle development.
·GWM said the ORA 5 and Raptor underwent more than 100,000 kilometers of road testing and 1,000 hours of user research across several European countries, informing adjustments to their chassis, steering, powertrain and seats.
·GWM plans to develop a European industrial park integrating vehicle and component production and to expand its product lineup according to market demand.
·The company plans to introduce at least 10 new models and derivatives in Europe over the next two years, spanning multiple powertrain types.
Production and capacity
The Lovech facility will be developed in partnership with Bulgarian Automotive Industry (BAI), making it GWM's first production project under this European localization approach.
The company intends to connect the Bulgarian plant with its Munich R&D center and existing sales channels in markets including Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.
Local R&D
Wu described the Munich center as the starting point for product definition rather than a facility used only to adapt completed vehicles. Its European team participates from the beginning of projects, covering customer research, regulatory adaptation and engineering validation.
GWM's approach places local R&D ahead of manufacturing, with the European team defining market requirements before vehicles enter regional production.
Technology and features
The GWM ONE platform supports hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery-electric, combustion-engine and hydrogen powertrains. It is designed for vehicle categories including sedans, SUVs, off-road vehicles, pickups, MPVs and sports cars.
Image source: GWM
The company said its Coffee OS intelligent cockpit and Coffee Pilot driver-assistance system have been adapted for Europe, including multilingual voice control and market-specific calibration.
