Cars
Great Wall Motors: A new chapter in the sedan market.
i.Origins and challenges.
Great Wall Motors, a leader in China's automotive manufacturing industry, has long been in the spotlight for its strong line of SUVs and pickups. However, when talking about Great Wall cars, people can't help but think about a question: why did this company, which has abundant financial and technical strength, repeatedly failed in the field of sedans? To solve this mystery, let's delve into the origins of the Great Wall sedan and the great challenges it faces.
After Wei Jianjun took over the Great Wall Industry, he successfully launched the first batch of Great Wall cars with the front axle and suspension manufacturing technology of the family business, coupled with the purchased chassis technology, and generated a turnover of one million in half a year. However, due to the lack of car production qualifications, this project was forced to stop, which became an insurmountable hurdle for the development of Great Wall cars.
ii.The persistence and start of the car dream.
However, Wei Jianjun did not give up his dream of a sedan because of the setbacks of the past. In 2007, Great Wall Motors finally obtained the qualification for the production of sedans, and quickly chose to reverse develop the Fiat Panda and launched the Great Wall Genie. However, this move was sued by Fiat and had to be discontinued. Then, Great Wall Motors began to develop its own C30, C50, C70 and other models, although there was a short period of glory, but in the end it was defeated under the wheel of the joint venture sedan. The failure of the sedan this time made Great Wall Motors make up its mind to turn its main focus to SUVs and pickup trucks.
iii.Transformation success and new projects.
Great Wall Motor's transformation is not to abandon the sedan segment, but to choose to restart the sedan project after the success of the SUV and pickup truck market. The successful launch of the Haval SUV series and the Wingle pickup series has accumulated a lot of capital and technical strength for the Great Wall. As a result, Great Wall Motors decided to challenge the sedan market again and launched a new sedan brand, ZX (internal codename).
The first model of the ZX brand is positioned as an ultra-luxury flagship model of D+, and the concept image has attracted widespread attention. The side of the new car in the picture is similar to the H9 executive sedan under the Hongqi brand, but what is more striking is that the front half of the body is quite similar to that of Rolls-Royce Gust, and it can even be said to be identical. According to the official, the new car is not an executive class, but is positioned as an ultra-luxury flagship model. This time, Great Wall Motor's "restart" sedan project is no longer a test of the waters, but a real move.
iv.The technical choice of the first model of the ZX brand.
Great Wall Motor's focus in the field of sedans this time is the key issue of choosing to develop its own chassis or outsource other people's technology. From the perspective of brand development, self-developed technology is the most desirable route. Great Wall Motors has made great strides in terms of technical strength in recent years, from 3From the 0TV6 engine to the first longitudinal 9AT gearbox, and then to the 9-speed hybrid gearbox, all of them are evidence of technical prowess. However, the first model of the new brand is positioned as an ultra-luxury flagship, and it may be difficult to quickly gain market recognition with self-developed technology. Therefore, the decision to choose an off-the-shelf chassis became a matter of great concern.
After looking at several companies that have cooperated with Great Wall, it seems that only BMW has the ability to provide the corresponding technology to Great Wall. What would happen if Great Wall's first high-end sedan were to be powered by BMW's 7 Series chassis technology? Perhaps, this kind of cooperation does not even require too much marketing effort, and a large number of consumers will emerge in the market. Of course, this is just a guess on our part, and the final route chosen by the new car will be subject to the authorities.
v.Great Wall's sedan development strategy.
From beginning to end, Great Wall Motors never thought of giving up on the sedan project. The previous failure was due to a lack of qualifications and the strong appeal of the joint venture product. However, with the impact of the new energy wave, the timing of the rise of domestic brands is right, and it is quite wise for Great Wall to choose to focus on the field of high-end cars at this time. Especially in the high-end new energy car market, a clear competition pattern has not yet been formed, and it is a "blue ocean" full of opportunities for Great Wall Motors. If it can be skillfully grasped, Great Wall Motors is expected to create a brilliant performance in this field.
In general, Great Wall Motor's sedan project was not achieved overnight, but has undergone many attempts and adjustments. In this process, Great Wall Motors has continuously learned lessons and gradually accumulated rich capital and technical strength. At present, with the launch of the ZX brand, Great Wall Motors is ushering in a new chapter in the sedan market. Whether you choose to develop your own chassis or buy out technology, it will be a decision that needs to be carefully considered. Driven by the wave of new energy, Great Wall Motors is expected to achieve new breakthroughs in the high-end car market and inject new vitality into China's automobile manufacturing industry. This time, they persevered and paved the way for themselves to win new glory in the sedan segment.