The Chinese SUV specialist regains momentum as Covid-sparked lockdown eases and supply shortages subside
Great Wall Motor (Chinese: 长城汽车) sold 80,062 cars in May, up 48.9% month on month, of which overseas sales totaled 12,317 units, 59.3% higher than in April, according to statistics the company released on June 8.
The sales jump came as supply chain companies gradually resumed operation, considerably relieving the components supply shortages and logistics crunches.
In May, GWM models with a sticker price of CNY 150,000 (USD 22,470) and higher represented 14.9% of the total sales. Some 64.1% of the sales came from three tech-driven brands, including Lemon, Tank and Coffee. And intelligent cars accounted for 82.9% of the total.
In a breakdown of the sales number, Haval (Chinese: 哈弗), an SUV brand, sold 41,748 units in May, leaping 43.3% from the previous month.
Customers took delivery of 20,088 units of Haval H6, its best-selling SUV model in the same month, while WEY (Chinese: 魏派), another sub-unit specializing in SUV manufacturing, delivered 2,520 units, an increase of 9.9% month on month.
Ora (Chinese: 欧拉), a feminine brand popular with female drivers, recorded a sales of 10.768 cars, skyrocketing 248.7% over the previous month.
Sales of Tank, an offroad vehicle brand under GWM, grew 32.2% month on month. Tank 500, a medium-to-large-size luxury offroad vehicle, has registered a cumulative sales of 2,500 units since its launch. GWM is expected to debut its new variant of Tank 300 at the end of June.
Also in May, GWM’s pickup truck unit chalked up sales of 17,008 units, of which GWM Cannon, its flagship car, sold 13,190 units, surging 29.9% from last month. As a leader in China’s high-end pickup market, GWM’s Cannon has crossed the 300,000 milestone in delivery.
GWM’s sales are likely to benefit further from two national policies, namely, promotion of cars in rural China and the reduction of car purchase tax.
Specifically, Ora’s Haomao and Haomao GT are included in the sales campaign under the auspices of the nation's efforts to boost car consumption in rural China.
Meanwhile, all Haval models across the product line are eligible for reduction of purchase tax by half, with some models owned by GWM exempt from the tax altogether.