SUVs are the rage right now in the automotive market. In India too every other carmaker is launching new SUVs rather than looking at hatchbacks or sedans. China’s Great Wall Motors is the latest entrant into the Indian market and its eyeing a large slice of the SUV pie to begin with.
The Quint caught up with Kaushik Ganguly, director strategy at Great Wall Motors, to talk about the company’s plans for the Indian market, given the success stories of MG Motors and Kia the previous year. New players appear to be getting their product strategies right.
Great Wall Motors (GWM) will be entering India with its Haval brand of SUVs. It had a whole range of them showcased at the Auto Expo (although the SUV it is likely to launch first - the H7 - wasn’t part of the line up).
There was significant interest in the GWM pavilion at the Auto Expo 2020. Besides its SUVs it also showcased the GWM R1, a tiny electric car that claims a range of 300 Km on a single charge. It is being pitched as a city car and could be priced between Rs 6 lakh to Rs 8 lakh eventually.
The company had announced an investment of $1 billion (over Rs 7,100 crore) in India in a phased manner. It has signed a term sheet to acquire General Motors Talegaon plant in India. This plant would require re-tooling as it primarily makes small cars at the moment.
GWM plans to launch its first SUV in early 2021, which will be followed by an electric vehicle – possibly the GWM R1. The company also showcased its autonomous driving capabilities with its Vision 25 SUV and a modified R1 electric car. It says it will load all its vehicles in India with plenty of safety tech.
Watch the video for more on the company’s plans for India.
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