Great Wall Motor’s auto factory in Brazil to start operation in May 2024

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Great Wall Motor (“GWM”) recently signed the "Hydrogen Energy Cooperation Memorandum" with the government of the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, aiming to jointly promote the feasibility study of hydrogen-powered transportation.

In late Jan. 2022, the handover ceremony of GWM's "Arte. Futuro" plant in Brazil was held in the state of Sao Paulo, meaning GWM officially acquired the Iracemápolis plant. At the recent event, Yang Weiqi, president of GWM Brazil, revealed the factory is undergoing smooth upgrades according to GWM’s global smart factory standards. The modernized renovation and expansion of the production lines will begin in the first half of this year with the upgraded facilities expected for official operation in May 1, 2024.

Photo credit: GWM

Mr. Yang added that the factory’s annual production capacity will climb to 100,000 vehicles in the future and 2,000 jobs will be added upon completion of the construction works.

The first model to be produced at the new factory will be a hybrid flex-fuel pickup.

GWM stated that in the current development stage, the plug-in hybrid technology with ethanol as fuel is one of the best technical solutions for the Brazilian market, as it is consistent with the country's geographical environment that features a massive national land and complex road conditions, as well as its present power generation and energy storage structure. Currently, 80% of Brazil's electricity comes from renewable energy sources, which is far higher than the global average of 30%.

According to GWM's plan, it will invest over BRL10 billion in its operations in Brazil over the next decade. By then, in addition to meeting the supply and demand of intelligent and electrified vehicles in the local market, the factory will also serve as GWM's fourth-largest production base in the world, radiating the entire new energy vehicle market in Latin America.