Great Wall Motor (GWM) recently welcomed China’s Ambassador to Thailand on a group visit to GWM’s Smart Factory, the second full-scale Smart Factory outside China, located in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) in Rayong – showing the potential and intention to contribute to Thailand becoming the global-standard regional production hub of right-hand-drive EVs with eco-friendly smart technology.
This visit reinforces the company’s commitment to becoming the xEV leader, with the aim of growing the automotive industry steadily and sustainably in Thailand.
The Smart Factory visit was attended by H.E. Mr. Han Zhiqiang, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Thailand, together with Mr. Wang Liping, Economic and Commercial Minister-Counsellor, Mr. Ge Tang and Mr. Fan Xuewei, Counsellor to discuss the development direction between the Thai and Chinese economies and to learn of the achievements of GWM Thailand throughout the first year of operations as well as its social responsibility activities. GWM executives led by Mr. Elliot Zhang, President ASEAN of Great Wall Motor, Mr. Greg Lee, Vice President of ASEAN Manufacturing, and Mr. Michael Chong, General Manager of Great Wall Motor (Thailand) provided a warm welcome and the business information before taking the ambassador and the group to see the production line and the company’s capability in xEV production inside the factory.
H.E. Mr. Han Zhiqiang, the Chinese Ambassador to Thailand, said: “This GWM Smart Factory visit to see its potential in production and acknowledge the achievements of GWM throughout its operations in Thailand has been a great pleasure. Over 47 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the People’s Republic of China and Thailand have always had a close and friendly relationship. The growth of GWM’s operations during the pandemic was a challenging time and reflected the strong bond between the two countries, which can successfully build the trust and reliability of Chinese brands for Thai consumers. As the Chinese Ambassador to Thailand, I am delighted and hopeful that GWM will create a buzz in the vehicle market in Thailand while contributing to Thailand successfully becoming the regional EV production hub.”
Mr. Elliot Zhang, President ASEAN of Great Wall Motor, said: “Throughout one year of our operations in Thailand, GWM has reinforced our core values of ‘New Energy’, ‘New Intelligence’ and ‘New Experience’ by holding on to our customer-centric approach to drive Thailand’s transition towards an EV society in a concrete way. We have received an overwhelming response from Thai fans such as in the success of the HAVAL H6, which has consistently been able to be the No.1 in sales in the compact SUV segment and the tremendous welcome for ORA Good Cat GT reservations in a short period of time. Moreover, GWM is continuing to build trust and enhance customer experiences with our 6S strategy, which focuses on sales and service, the partnership to expand electric charging stations, and ‘Online-to-Offline’ (O2O) operations through the GWM app. We are delighted and honored to convey this achievement by welcoming the Ambassador and the group during this Smart Factory visit. We will continue to build trust and the image of Chinese brands in both Thai and international markets while contributing to Thailand becoming the global-standard regional production hub of right-hand-drive EVs and driving ASEAN’s automotive industry to the next level in the future.”
Beyond its winning business strategy, GWM is committed to standing with Thai people in all situations through the ongoing social activities and partnerships with local authorities and non-profit organizations in Thailand, for example, joining hands with the volunteering network: Food For Fighters (FFF) under the ‘GWM: GO WITH ME, GO TOGETHER’ project, by delivering food, survival bags, and prophylactic equipment to healthcare workers, communities, and affected households. The company also donated 460,000 surgical masks to 29 government and social organizations and partnered with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), organizing EV caravans to promote tourism in secondary cities. This includes strengthening local economies and encouraging the use of new energy vehicles along with contributing to the potential of younger generations in driving various aspects in Thailand, as well as developing the electric vehicle industry to grow stronger through the signing of a memorandum of understanding with various educational organizations.
Great Wall Motor Manufacturing Thailand is the second full-scale manufacturing facility outside of China, established under the ‘intelligence, safety and green’ concept, fully capable of producing 120,000 vehicles per year. The Smart Factory is being developed in two phases. In Phase 1, it is designed to produce SUVs and pickups, with the capacity to produce 80,000 vehicles per year; and Phase 2 will be additional investment to increase the production capacity by 40,000 vehicles per year. Moreover, this factory will be the regional right-hand-drive EV production hub in ASEAN. The proportion of export production is 60:40: 60% in domestic sales and 40% in exports to right-hand-drive countries, with the ALL New HAVAL H6 Hybrid SUV being the first car off the production line.
GWM, as the ‘Global Intelligent Technology Company’, will continue to drive Thailand towards the modern automotive industry era. The GWM Smart Factory, with its high-technology manufacturing processes, together with safety and eco-friendly innovation and customer-centric approach, delivers the exceptional driving experience that meets every need while growing with customers, business partners and society in order to contribute to the growth of Thailand’s electric vehicle industry and economy in a steady and sustainable way.
