Great Wall Motors arrived into Mzansi at a time when there was some political upheaval. A new leader was poised to take over government and the winds of change were blowing left right and middle. It was a time of great opportunity, and the Chinese automotive brand seized the moment with both hands.
That early period was admittedly challenging for any new brand coming into the country, what with the market leaders keeping a strong chokehold on whatever managed to enter. Chinese brands were bottom of the trust heap, no thanks to some rather disappointing offerings by manufacturers looking for a quick buck through inferior products.
So GWM – as Great Wall Motors eventually abbreviated itself – putting their foot in the water during this moment was at a great reputational risk. An exit would have been undesirable. The company decided to stick around, with a plan to set up a small national footprint of compact dealerships in specific areas where the market would be receptive of their products.
Early products like the H1, and Florid and were launched as value propositions, challenging the market leaders in the pocket, rather than in reputation and brand prestige. A slow uptake saw buyers warming up to some of the products. As media, we remarked about how good they were compared to their compatriots’, with attractive, quirky designs, willing powertrains and features some rivals charged extra bucks for.
The turning point arguably came with GWM’s Haval brand, which was launched as a direct rival to sub-premium offerings from German and Japanese companies. Haval presented fresh new products with interesting tech. But of course value for money was always top of mind for consumers, and Haval came to the table with plenty to give them. Cars like the H2 revolutionised how South Africans viewed not only GWM brand, but cars of Chinese origin as a whole.
For the first time, consumers were exposed to features that were previously reserved for bigger, more expensive cars from established brands, with prices that impressed even more. Perhaps what really impressed the market was that people could buy brand new cars packed with features, for less, and be able to replace them at a quicker rate because of that. GWM had arrived into the Mzansi market and disrupted everything.
