As promised by its ASEAN and Thailand president Elliot Zhang in April, Chinese car manufacturer Great Wall Motors (GWM) has recently announced that it has now officially entered the Malaysian market. Locally, its business will be represented by a newly established wholly-owned subsidiary company known as Great Wall Motor Sales Malaysia, which is headquartered in Menara Binjai, Kuala Lumpur.
The new company will be responsible for carrying out all marketing and distribution of GWM vehicles in the country, and will adopt the same strategy as its Thailand counterpart. Specifically, its plans for the Malaysian market will be developed according to GWM’s ASEAN new energy strategy, where it will place emphasis on its hybrid and electric vehicle (EV) models.
Great Wall Motor Malaysia managing director Cui Anqi adds that the company plans to prioritise the development of its network operations to create a unique consumer experience for Malaysian customers. Explaining further, he revealed that the brand intends to introduce “market-leading” warranties and service policies, as well as placing an emphasis on its after-sales services. In regards to the latter, Cui says GWM will introduce a customer service call centre that will operate around the clock, which will be accompanied by a technical service team for additional support. Other measures mentioned include the setting up a new warehouse in the Klang Valley region for spare parts.
In addition, the managing director also revealed GWM plans to establish local assembly (or CKD) operations for its vehicles as part of its long term goals for Malaysia. For this, the company will cooperate with Go Auto Group, which has been handling the distribution of its vehicles in the country prior to this.
During its launch yesterday, GWM also took the opportunity to showcase its EV, the Ora Good Cat. The company said the car is slated to officially debut in Malaysia during the fourth quarter this year, though no pricing has been detailed just yet. For reference, the base Tech variant of the vehicle is priced at THB 828,500 (~RM 105,350), while the mid-range Pro at THB 898,500 (~RM 114,250) and the top-of-the-line Ultra variant is sold for THB 1.059 million (~RM 134,600).
Though unconfirmed, it is expected that GWM may also introduce its latest hybrid SUVs, namely the Haval H6 and Haval Jolion, for the local market in the near future.
(Source: Paultan.org)
