GWM sales from Jan to Nov up 16.3% year-on-year

Great Wall Motors sold 1.12 million vehicles in the first 11 months this year, up 16.3 percent from the same period last year, said China's largest SUV and pickup maker on Tuesday.

Its deliveries last month stood at 122,510 vehicles, down 15.65 percent year-on-year. But they brought total deliveries this year to exceed those in the whole year of 2020, said the carmaker.

Of its five brands, Haval vehicles accounted for the majority of Great Wall Motors' sales in November.

Their sales reached 69,170 units last month, and deliveries in the first 11 months totaled 675,621 units, up 4.8 percent year-on-year.

The Haval H6 SUV was the best-seller, with 32,443 units sold in November. It had been the best-selling SUV in China for 101 months.

Great Wall Motors' electric car brand Ora saw its sales in November reach 16,136 units, up 39.2 percent year-on-year. The brand's total sales from January to November reached 114,102 units, up 162.2 percent year-on-year.

Its premium Wey brand sold 6,286 vehicles last month, up 7.4 percent from October.

Great Wall Motors' pickups continued their sales momentum, with over 20,810 sold in November. In the first 11 months, over 200,000 pickups were sold.

The carmaker continued its overseas expansion. Last month, a record number of 15,006 units were sold in international markets.

Great Wall Motors' overseas sales from January to November totaled 127,026 units, rising 106.3 percent from the same period last year.

The carmaker opened its European headquarters last month in Munich, Germany, paving the way for its models to hit the country from 2022.

It presented a plug-in hybrid SUV from its Wey brand and a full-electric model from its Ora brand at the Munich auto show in September.

"Chinese carmakers now have the courage and ability to take European brands head-on," said the carmaker in a statement.

Great Wall Motors also plans to open brand experience centers in Munich and Berlin in 2022 as part of its plan to build a "lifestyle ecosystem" for European customers.

"The launch in Europe is an important milestone for Great Wall Motors," said Qiao Xianghua, CEO of the carmaker's European operations. "We have ambitious goals for this market as well."

lifusheng@chinadaily.com.cn