Great Wall to double Australian sales with four new models

By Daniel DeGasperi | March 12th, 2013

FIND DEALS

A rapid product expansion is planned for Great Wall in Australia, with two all-new passenger cars arriving later this year and a further two in 2014.

Local importer Ateco Automotive aims to sell 15,000 Great Wall vehicles here this year, and 20,000 annually once all four new models are introduced – almost double the 11,000 Great Walls sold in Australia in 2012.

While a cosmetic-only facelift for the Great Wall V240 ute is scheduled for later this year, the X240 compact SUV will be replaced by the H6 (pictured below), which utilises an all-new monocoque platform and will have a “price leader” two-wheel-drive manual option. The current Great Wall X240 is built on a separate chassis platform.

The H6 utilises a range of Mitsubishi petrol and diesel four-cylinder engines, and will, like the X240, continue to be priced in the low 20-thousand dollar bracket.

In October this year, Great Wall will introduce its first passenger vehicle, the VX10 (pictured top). Described by the company as a “Yaris-type” hatchback, the VX10 is larger than a Chery J1 but smaller than the Chery J3. Great Wall says it will be priced similarly to a J3, which is currently retailing at $12,990 driveaway.

The VX10 – called the C10 in China – will get six airbags and stability control standard, but Great Wall general manager Peter McGowen is cautious to predict the light hatchback could be China’s first five-star ANCAP rated car.

“We’re trying to get up there,” he stated.

Next year Great Wall will add to its passenger car lineup with the VX30 small car (pictured below) and VX50 large car (pictured bottom).

The addition of passenger cars to the Great Wall range means it will quickly overtake Chery for passenger car sales in this country, according to Ateco forecasts. Ateco Automotive imports and sells both Great Wall and Chery brands, but says the quicker expansion of Great Wall is reflective of that company’s greater engineering abilities and popularity in China.

“Part of the growth of Great Wall in China over the last 18 months to two years has been on the back of passenger car development,” McGowen said.

“They were always a market leader in SUVs, and utilities … they were never really on the radar because they weren’t in the passenger market.

“When they started developing passenger cars, the C30 [VX30] is extremely popular in China … now they’re the number one independent in China”.

Since Ateco launched the Great Wall brand in 2009, more than 30,000 vehicles have found Australian homes. The dealer network currently stands at 87 outlets, which isn’t expected to expand as the company predicts a purely product-led sales increase.

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Jack

They look great! It will be interesting to see how they go in crash tests!
- Big jim
  
  Can i get a C30 asbestos edition – what a time to be alive!
  - U mad?
    
    No the asbestos editions are given to customers randomly and secretly! The only way you can find out is when the recall kicks in….! Hooray!
- DAVIDZ
  
  It mentioned its the first 5-star safety level from a Chinese brand
  
  Be scared korea, be VERY scared u have the most to lose
  - Ace
    
    Uhhh…no? Actually Korea don’t have much to be worried about, they have established themselves ahead of most of the Japan companies except Toyota. I’d be more worried for the Japanese. Thanks to the Island situation they have pretty much given the Chinese market to Korea and others on a silver platter and mind, not just in China either.
    - Ace or Joker…
      
      Because they are on island they have “Given” the Chinese market to Korea…? I don’t think that a country being situated on an Island means that they are “Giving” anything. Most markets that Korea supply, need cars to be shipped, besides, transportation by road or rail may not necessarily be a cheaper alternative, especially in large numbers. The conflict situation over the Sengaku Islands may provide a larger effect for the Japs in China. The Chinese markets biggest car supplier now and in the future will be their own brands and they will go from strength to strength globally (as Korea has done) as time goes on.
      - huwtm
        
        Additionally, Sth Korea is on a peninsula below Nth Korea. They too are essentially on an island. the Japanese are in China as well. But the most important part of this equation is the Chinese Government. No outsider will ever be allowed to over take the internal manufacturers.
      - huwtm
        
        Additionally, Sth Korea is on a peninsula below Nth Korea. They too are essentially on an island. the Japanese are in China as well. But the most important part of this equation is the Chinese Government. No outsider will ever be allowed to over take the internal manufacturers.
      - Ace
        
        Wow, a couple of really dense replies. I’m not referring to which of those countries are an Island, I am saying that the anti-Japanese sentiment in China (going back to Nanking) came to the fore thanks to the Sengoku Island dispute and the sales of Japanese cars in China went down the drain.
        
        Not a smart move by Japan considering that their economy wasn’t in the best of shape to begin with.
        
        So if they want a Japanese-style car, what do they turn too…*waiting for the gears to slowly turn for both of you…nevermind will take both of you about a week*….yep, a Korean car.
      - huwtm
        
        Really M/s Sensitive I got the Government war connection, but like I wrote. They actually have Japanese cars there. No other country is in there on mass and they never will be, Chinese cars by virtue of the government, will always be kept number one. I think the Japan China war is a dead issue though.
      - Ace or Joker…
        
        But you didn’t even mention the disputed islands in your original statement, you just copied what I said regarding that issue now… All you had to say was that the Japanese had “handed” the Koreans the Chinese Market “on a silver platter” simply because Japan is an Island… That and your troll like insults sound more “dense” to me…. Sounds like someone (M/s Sensitive…lol) regrets their silly post and all they’ve got left is rudeness… and hutwm.. Good point about the Korean Peninsula, might be a bit difficult getting a truck load of i30′s through the DMZ to China about now… At least there is still some intelligence on here.. (Exclude yourself ACE/JOKER…)
      - huwtm
        
        You know, in business, disputed islands is an irrelevance. Comes down to money. wars disputes governments, carry on with their own thing, but I tell you China is conquering the world using the capitalists own tools. That’s how they will be looking at it. Japanese companies are in China, as are all the rest. China is forcing many to build there, what does that tell you? You started out with a wrong premiss and then tried to spin it. It’s over lets move on.
- PJ
  
  The Chinese are coming
  - 
    
    no.. they are already here.
    
    //
Suqsid

What’s the point of buying an old-model Yaris (top picture) assembled in China and “priced similarly to a Chery J3″, when you can just get an actual Toyota Yaris for less on the used car market?
- Jgh
  
  Cause one is brand new and one is used?
  - Henry Toussaint
    
    And the Yaris that’s on sale now is really only a face lifted model.
    - Ace or Joker
      
      Yeah, latest yaris is just a facelift … If you call an all new body, platform, totally new interior, more safety kit and equipment as well as engine and chassis upgrades a facelift of course… Wait a minute.. I wouldn’t call all that a facelift, I’d call it a new model with only a carry over (yet improved) engine. Cant wait for the (actual) facelift though…
      - Henry Toussaint
        
        Front doors are still the same..
  - Suqsid
    
    And yet, the used one is most probably of higher quality than the new one. That was my point, you know..
    - huwtm
      
      Well, if you don’t count wear and tear and possible accident damage and all the rest of the things that can happen to cars, not to mention no warranty, or at best 3 months which the second hand yard won’t honour or the sell you an extended warranty and then that doesn’t get honoured.. If it’s new at the right price and they are a budget buyer, there is no real down side to these types of cars.
      - Resident
        
        You have clearly been ripped hard when you have bought used. Or your friends have.
        
        I’d get a 2yo Mazda2, Fiesta or Jazz over any of these.
    - Jhg
      
      That can be said about lots of cars. You could get better quality by buying a used BMW/Lexus/Mercedes for the price of a brand new Toyota/Ford/Holden too.
- huwtm
  
  If it is a licensed build and not a copy, and you save five thousand dollars, what’s wrong with that?
- Guest
  
  It says it’s a Yaris “type” vehicle, not a Chinese assembled Yaris. It looks better than a Yaris to me. I don’t think much of the other three models, they look rather “old”.
- Roffa
  
  Its not actually an old model Yaris, get your facts right
Jober As A Sudge

Any chance they can take a crack at “doubling” the quality while they’re at it?
- Zaccy16
  
  no by the looks of those pics
Fred

I find the word isn’t in the last sentence a little puzzling.

Back on course though, this is great for the Australian economy if they sell more cars here.
At the moment we sell them the raw iron and aluminium to make the cars, they sell the cars back to us and after 2 years on the roads they will be oback in the scrap metal yards ready to be sold back to China.

Brilliant strategy I reckon.
- Jgh
  
  The warranty is longer than 2 years, so they won’t be in the scrap yard at that stage.
  - Fred
    
    Warranty doesn’t cover them being written off in a 10kmh bingle, they crumple like cardboard in minor prangs.
    The local electricity retailer here bought 3 x200 things for their tech staff to get around in.
    One written off in a very low speed prang with a Nissan x trail which managed to drive away ( no I am NOT a Nissan fan ) one broke the back suspension mountings carrying meter testing gear that still wasn’t over the allowed weight and the dealers / ateco wouldn’t repair it under warranty so it was basically junk because the cost of repairs were too high and the third one is basically worn out after 140,000 km.
    
    Like I said, in the scrap metal yards all over the country after 2 years.
    - huwtm
      
      Maybe they’ve improved with the new cars. But in regards to your story, trade trucks can get a hammering. not making excuses for it, But lets wait and see.
      - Resident
        
        Here we go again – your point gets proven wrong by fact and you take the ‘We will wait and see’.
        
        These cars are rubbish. They won’t compete with Japanese or Koreans for at least another 5 years.
      - Jhfg
        
        For once huwtm hasn’t said anything wrong. No facts have been provided here, just someone’s personal story which does not make sense. The cars not lasting because someone crashed them is not a reflection on the car, it is a reflection on the person driving it and as I pointed out below, other popular Japanese cars get written on in 10kmh bingles -and that one is a fact not a anecdote.
        
        The article says they sold 11,000 cars last year. So if they’re not competing with the Japanese, who did they take those 11,000 sales from? The Germans?
    - Jgh
      
      Worse case scenario for repair costs in a 10kmh bingle can’t be any worse than a Honda Jazz or Toyota Yaris or many other modern cars.
      NRMA insurance publishes repair costs of 10kmh bingles. Their 2012 results showed a Honda Jazz costs $13,753 and a Toyota Yaris costs $13,439. Yet when we hear people talking about Toyota’s, people are often raving about how cheap they are to repair!
      
      Besides your saying they’ll ALL be in the scrap yard at two years. You think people write their cars off every two years? Well you might wreck a car every two years, but most people get through their entire lives without ever writing a car off..
      One wore out at 140,000kms? Who does 140,000kms within two years?
      - Pro346
        
        Plenty of companies would do that and more
      - Gibbut
        
        because everyone who has ever written off a car plans to………..
    - Doctor
      
      Worn out after 140,000 km… reminds me of a certain LC200 diesel.
  - Tone
    
    You’ve obviously never tried making a warranty claim through Ateco, then …
TG

Bugger off Ateco, stop bringing this rubbish into the country!
- Ace
  
  No-one is forcing you to buy it and if people do, then they are filling in a piece of the market that consumers are willing to pay for.
  - LeStori
    
    Many years ago Bell Helmets ran a campaign along the lines of “If you have a $10 head then buy a $10 Helmet’… Whilst these cars fill a gap, I suspect their occupants will help keep the the road toll at a level that will encourage Governments to increase the number of Road Revenue Cameras.
- 
  
  Bugger off TG, stop bringing rubbish like you into this country!
  
  //
- Roffa
  
  Sorry, not a chance and no apologies.
huwtm

Sounds to me like Ateco has a conflict of interest. I wouldn’t be happy if I was either manufacturer.
- DAVIDZ
  
  Once ATECO do all the hard work, the Chinese will take the brand off them, just like with Kia, Fuat, Alfa etc
  - Westie
    
    Once Ateco do all the hard work, the Chinese will HAVE to take the brand off them. Look at their efforts with their previous brands. Prices up and down, models dropped then relaunched then dropped again. They do nothing to reassure the public that there’s stability from the manufacturer, and destroy the resale.
Kd

Everytime I see a Great Wall I just want to run the idiot off the road so their stupidity is removed from the gene pool.
- Jhg
  
  Would you be wearing Made in China clothes and carrying a Made in China mobile phone whilst doing that?
- GW
  
  keyboard warrior…..
O123

They must be doing something right if they are selling 10k a year. Renault can barely crack 5k a year and there cars are way better.
- Kd
  
  There are lots of dumb people out there that buy a car purely based on $$$ and nothing else. How else do you think Hyundai sold cars when they first started?
  - horsie
    
    and look where Hyundai are now. I still see heaps of Excel’s on the road so they can’t be that bad.
  - James
    
    Kd, i m ay be the guy like you saying stupid. But my v200 have done 40k already, and I feel it better than my jps car. sorry to let you know
    - Roffa
      
      Mine has just hit 120000, no dramas.
Poison_Eagle

Let the invasion begin.
GIG

I saw nothing but Yaris hatch+sedan copies and a rip off on 8th.Gen Civic, and even more to come!
WTH…pls stop lowing down the average level of quality of the entire car market.
Tone

Ooh, let me guess which cars GW ripped off to come up with these …

1. Toyota Yaris
2. Toyota Kluger
3. Nissan Pulsar
4. Oh … that’s a tough one … looks a little bit like a melted Mitsubishi Lancer crossed with a Honda Civic.

Do I win a prize?
LowRezFez

Makes Daihastu look like a luxury brand.
Dennis

Friend of mine bought a used V200.

This thing is dangerously slow off the mark.

It’s allot worse than driving a 3.0 Diesel Patrol…

Ateco bugger off please. Your selling cars that are advertised as “Great”. no there bloody not.

My Friend paid $13,000 for a 2011 V200 with 40,000km. Great Resale….
- Doctor
  
  “allot (sic) worse than driving a 3.0 Diesel Patrol”. What did you expect? Performance like a twin turbo VW that costs 3 times as much? Your friend got what he paid for…. and he didn’t pay much either, did he?
- horsie
  
  I assume your friend test drove it before buying it?
  - Dennis
    
    No he took a punt and bought it at the Auctions…
    - Ace
      
      So your “friend” is unhappy with his car but didn’t test drive it? Doesn’t matter how he bought it, no-one to blame but himself if that is the case.
- huwtm
  
  So second hand he purchased a truck worth $13,000, after test driving and was completely happy. But you aren’t? So it sold new for less than twenty K and is now worth (or was) thirteen. it lost at worst seven thousand, at best, four maybe five. Seems pretty good to me. Do that with a Holden and see where you end up?
  - Dennis
    
    No the V200 Dual Cab 4WD starts at 28K. So that’s a 15k loss in 2 years.
    
    No he didn’t test drive it, the car was bought at the Auctions.
    - huwtm
      
      It’s still not bad even though you can’t gauge accurately from auction prices other than, him being the only bidder. But in most cases you are bidding against car yards, so as a wholesale price, it’s reasonable and if in a yard, you’d have a retail price which would have added at least 5K to it.
      
      He could have test driving a new to get a gauge on what they are like before going to the auction. Some times though we buy things and we end up not liking them, unfortunately that’s life.
- Jhg
  
  3.0 Patrol costs more than double a V200.
  
  Were you seriously expecting that a $28K car was not going to be worse than a $58K one?
  - Dennis
    
    My Reference to the Patrol was not in price.
    
    Anyone that has driven the 3.0 Diesel Patrol, especially the earlier models will know what i mean in terms of performance.
    
    That is what i’m comparing.
    
    BTW there are 28K diesels that are better than the Patrol…
Dave W

Makes me wonder how much markup they get for each car they sell if they still manage to keep business open even when their sales number is very low.
V6 ute owner

How about making a ute with either a V6 or decent 4cyl petrol motor?
Terry.Tang

Great Wall is the best car brand in china.
It’s make a lot of progress as before.
Best Deals

go and google Phenom and see the real car with the aggresive gril, much better
James

It looks like alot people here talk about the great wall, but do not own one. Talking is cheap!!!!!!