Watch out Subaru, Tesla, and Isuzu - GWM Haval could make top 10 debut in 2023

It’s taken some time, but it looks like GWM - previously Great Wall Motors - and its Haval SUV brand will follow MG to be the second Chinese brand to enter Australia’s top 10 automakers in 2023.

Up a whopping 123.2 per cent in the first five months of the year, GWM’s impressive sales are surging off the back of its affordable Haval Jolion and H6 SUVs, as well as its value-oriented dual-cab Ute.

When asked if the brand could hit top 10 status before the end of the year, brand communications boss Steve Maciver said it was too early to tell, but the brand expects even stronger numbers in the second half of 2023.

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“The growth we’ve seen so far is promising, the Jolion and H6 continue to perform strongly” he said. “We’ve had increased supply and our dealer network continues to grow, giving us access to areas where we might not have been so well represented before.”

Maciver wouldn’t give a specific number GWM is targeting for the end of the year, but it would need to hit roughly 40,000 units to have a chance at eclipsing Isuzu Ute in 10th position, Subaru in ninth position and Tesla in eighth position.

Maciver said increasing supply will continue to see GWM’s numbers climb for the Jolion and H6 but there’s also much more to come from its hyped sub-brands, the fully-electric Ora and off-road focused Tank. 

Tank’s first offering is its 300 Wrangler-styled hybrid, while Ora is spearheaded initially by an MG4 or BYD Dolphin-challenging hatchback. Both launched earlier this year, with full shipments yet to hit dealerships.

GWM’s impressive sales are surging off the back of its affordable Haval Jolion. (Image: Tom White)

“Tank and Ora haven’t had a chance to post numbers yet, but both are having shipments arrive this month. There will be a big spike for this month’s figures,” Maciver said. “We’ve secured a strong supply of Tank going forward. The interest in that brand in particular has been huge.”

Maciver also predicted the brand hasn’t yet reached the peak for its H6 or Jolion range, with the level of interest across both SUVs growing, particularly for hybrids which he said are now just shy of 40 per cent of the SUV model mix.

The Cannon ute is up a whopping 178 per cent on its own, a major contributor to the brand’s success, with Maciver saying there’s no reason to not expect more on that front either, although the success of 4x4 variants has come at a cost to the entry-level 4x2 range, which is down over 50 per cent year-on-year.

GWM is the second Chinese brand to enter Australia’s top 10 automakers in 2023. (Image: Tung Nguyen)

“The instant asset write-off [which ends on June 30] has put a boost on 4x4 sales, but when you’re in the market for a ute, value still needs to stack up,” Maciver said.

The ute range is also set to expand, with a larger and more highly-specified dual-cab, known overseas as the Shanhai Cannon. While it is yet to get a local name, this ute is powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbo six-cylinder petrol engine, and it has already been spotted testing in Sydney in right-hand-drive form. The brand is yet to be drawn on arrival timing.

Similarly, a second member of the Tank family, the LandCruiser-challenging Tank 500, which has also been spotted testing in Australia, could join the line-up but it appears not before year’s end. This model is also powered by the same in-house 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 as the Shanhai Cannon ute, representing a move into higher-performance territory by the Chinese brand.