Great Wall Motor to eye sedan layout in three years

Chinese private automaker Great Wall Motor Co., Ltd. will continue devoting itself to the sedan market from 2010 to 2012, along with the fast growth of its pillar SUV (sports-utility vehicle) business.

At the inception of 2008, the Gwperi, the first sedan model of Great Wall Motor, hit the market, marking the start-up of the company's sedan layout strategy. However, the sales of such a new product fell short of insiders' expectations, because of a higher selling price.

The Great Wall Motor Chairman Wei Jianjun suddenly revealed that the company would strive for one of China's top A-class sedan makers, when all circles were discussing about what kind of sedan operation development strategy Great Wall Motor would bring forward.

The carmaker unveiled its first A-class sedan model in November 2008. Priced at CNY 50,000 or so, the product has become one of Great Wall Motor's salable car models.

Of course, it was unwilling to abandon the Gwperi. In accordance with the European emission standards and the B-class sedan design philosophy, the new-generation Great Wall Gwperi was launched in the first half of 2009, and the selling price was largely lowered. Presently, the company is able to sell 1,800 units of the Gwperi, approaching the original target of 2,000.

Before long, the CooBear, Florid VVT, Florid CROSS, Florid CVT, and Gwperi Cross hit the market in succession, which enabled the automaker to further sharp its competitive edge in the A-class sedan market, said people with the direct knowledge of the matter.

In order to allure different social classes, Great Wall Motor is mulling over the debut of an A-class 3-volume sedan at the 2010-end. With a 2.7-meter wheelbase, the product will be featured with the self-developed 1.5T engine.

Great Wall Motor will set foot in the B- and C-class sedan sectors, after it's A-class sedan production and distribution get into the right track, said the chairman. In April 2009, a Great Wall-branded C-class sedan with the code of CHC011 was showed on the 13th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition.

Notably, the to-be-unveiled product is equipped with a 3.0L V6 engine, the 6-speed transmission, the ACC (adaptive cruise control) system, and the media interface system. Great Wall Motor plans to separately roll out a kind of B-class sedan and the CHC011 at its plant in Tianjin, north China, in 2011 and 2012.