Great Wall Motor is the first Chinese automaker to submit documents for a European Union investigation into subsidies on battery electric vehicle imports.
President Feng Mu himself posted the news on his social profiles, announcing that the company had sent the documents to Brussels back on October 11. He stated that GWM’s commitment is ‘unshakable‘ and that despite the hurdles in the Chinese foreign expansion, the group aims to accelerate its entry into the Old Continent. Currently, GWM is available in Sweden, Germany and the UK, where the only electric car it sells is the compact ORA Cat, but there are plans of a debut in Denmark and Norway between 2024 and 2025.
In September 2023, Great Wall registered 333 BEVs in Germany, marking an 85% decrease compared to August when they had registered 2,211 units.
What happened in the EU
Looking back at what transpired, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the investigation into subsidies on September 13, which was officially launched on October 4. During the same period, Stella Li, Executive VP of BYD, had stated that, despite the investigations, BYD will continue to pursue steady growth in Europe.
In 2021, Volkswagen increased its stake in the Chinese battery manufacturer Gotion to 26%, which in 2023 became a battery supplier for VW outside of China. Volkswagen also has two main joint ventures in China with state-owned SAIC and FAW.
Nevertheless, we will see if other manufacturers, both Chinese and European ones manufacturing in China, will follow GWM’s example by providing all the necessary documentation requested by Brussels
