Great Wall confirms India entry for Haval and Ora at Auto Expo 2020
Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motors will be beginning its Indian innings with an SUV. The Haval brand may launch H4, H6, and H9 as its first offerings.
Putting speculations to rest, Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motors has officially confirmed its entry in India. The company will showcase its products under the Haval and Ora brands at the upcoming Auto Expo 2020 in February.
Following the success story of MG Motor and Kia, Great Wall Motors will be beginning its Indian innings with an SUV. The Haval brand may see the H4, H6, and H9 as the company’s first offerings in the country.
Introduced in 2017, the H4 comes with 1.3-litre and 1.5-litre petrol engines. Great Wall may also introduce the H4 with a 2.0-litre diesel mill (the Multijet diesel engine from Fiat).
The H6 is based on the H4 but gets a longer wheelbase. This SUV is retailed in the global markets with 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre petrol engines.
The Haval H6 was earlier spotted under tests in India in February 2019. Featuring a European design, the H6 is not just Haval’s most successful product but also one of the largest selling SUVs in its home country.
Haval’s H9 is a premium SUV, which will take on the likes of Ford Endeavour and Toyota Fortuner. The body-on-frame-styled SUV is retailed with powertrain options including a 2.0-litre petrol and 2.0-litre diesel (same diesel unit from Fiat).
The teaser image shared by Great Wall also showcases the Ora R1, which has often been touted as the world’s cheapest electric car. It is powered by a 33 kWh battery, which returns a claimed range of 312 km. Launched in January 2019 in China, the small electric car can be India’s first affordable EV.
The company is reportedly trying to acquire General Motors’ Talegaon-based manufacturing facility. This facility has an annual capacity of 1.65 lakh vehicles and 1.6 lakh engines.
Great Wall is expected to commence retail operations in India by 2021 via the CKD (completely built unit) route. It has four brands under its portfolio – Haval, Ora, Wey, and the Great Wall Pick-up.
(Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta)
