Great Wall Motor at a Glance: From Baoding Repair Shop to Top-Ten Chinese Carmaker

Great Wall Motor, better known internationally as GWM, ranks among China's ten largest automakers from its base in Baoding, Hebei province. The company centers its business on SUVs and pickup trucks, sold 1.23 million vehicles worldwide in 2024, and booked 173.21 billion yuan in revenue the year before.

The company's origins trace back to a township-run vehicle repair workshop that began assembling its own commercial vehicles in the mid-1980s. Wei Jianjun, today's chairman, took the director's post in 1990 at just 26 years old and redirected the firm toward pickups. Its Hilux-based Deer model, launched in 1996, turned Great Wall into China's leading pickup producer, and the first export consignment left for the Middle East within a year. The business was privatized in 1998 and floated on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2003.

GWM now sells through a multi-marque lineup that includes Haval, Wey, Tank, and the EV-focused Ora, alongside Poer pickups and Souo touring motorcycles. Since 2019 it has operated Spotlight Automotive, an equal-stakes venture with BMW Group that assembles electric Minis in China, and its footprint stretches from Australia and Brazil to Thailand, Russia, and South Africa.