Chinese sport utility vehicle manufacturer Great Wall Motor (GWM) plans to strengthen its presence in Thailand and expand within Asean by launching nine different electric vehicle (EV) models within three years to court prospective Thai motorists.
The company will gradually introduce the new models until 2023.
Elliot Zhang, president of Great Wall Motor Asean and Thailand, said the company is focusing on the Thai market and expects car buyers to provide a good response to Chinese EVs.
"The trend in the automotive industry is moving towards clean, intelligent and environmentally friendly technology, so the company aims to develop EVs to serve domestic and overseas markets," he said.
Thailand is the base for GWM's first smart factory in Southeast Asia, which was built in a move to boost sales in international markets.
The company did not reveal whether the facility, located in Rayong, will be used to produce battery electric vehicles (BEVs), although it announced in March that BEVs will be rolled out of a manufacturing plant in Thailand by 2023.
It earlier said the Rayong plant will produce a sport utility vehicle (SUV) named Haval.
Late last month, GWM officially launched the "All New HAVAL H6 Hybrid SUV" in Thailand, with a price range of 1.1-1.2 million baht.
Narong Sritalayon, managing director of Great Wall Motor Thailand, said the company plans to branch out to serve customers in all provinces.
This year, it will open 10 new showrooms and 20 stores, jointly invested in by its partners.
These numbers will increase to 50 by the first quarter of 2022.
Earlier, GWM had announced it would spend 22 billion baht for a factory upgrade, EV production and the renewable energy business.
The new plant was upgraded and renovated from a car production facility previously belonging to General Motors which sold it to GWM following its decision to withdraw from Thailand.