China’s Great Wall Ponders Production in Europe

China’s Great Wall Motor Co. Ltd. hopes to begin selling its premium Wey-brand crossover vehicles, including electric variants, in Europe two years from now.

Great Wall Chairman Wei Jian Jun tells Reuters the company also will consider opening an assembly plant in Europe when its annual sales there surpass 50,000 units.

The company already ships a small number of pickup trucks to Italy under its mass-market Haval brand. In June, Great Wall also opened a factory in Russia with capacity to make 80,000 vehicles per year.

Great Wall is considered China’s largest producer of SUVs. It also is one of few manufacturers to boost domestic sales volume in the country this year. The company sold 624,000 vehicles through the first eight months of 2019, up 6% from the same period in 2018.