GWM marks 18 years in Australia with record sales, H7 launch and expansion plans

Eighteen years from two utes to a mainstream brand

GWM is marking 18 years in Australia and New Zealand with a reflection on its journey from a two-model newcomer to one of the country's fastest-growing automotive brands. According to the company, it arrived as the first Chinese automotive manufacturer in both markets with two ute models in 2008, and has since sold more than 250,000 vehicles nationally, built a network of 130 dealerships and developed growing local engineering capability. ¹

There is a nuance worth noting on the milestone itself. CarExpert, in a piece published by PerthNow, reports that Great Wall vehicles launched in Australia on 24 June 2009 with the original SA220 and V240 utes introduced through independent distributor Ateco, which puts the brand in its 18th year rather than 18 complete years on sale. CarExpert also records that the original operation ran into a distribution dispute, with new imports stopping during the Ateco era, before factory-controlled distribution began in 2016 and the Great Wall name was phased out in favour of GWM. ⁴

The company's own account presents the milestone differently, stating it entered Australia and New Zealand with two ute models in 2008 as the markets' first Chinese manufacturer. Both accounts agree on the broader arc: an unknown entrant that has become an established part of the local market. CarExpert notes Haval launched separately in October 2015 with the H2, H8 and H9, and that the first Tank and Ora models reached Australian customers in 2023, with all three treated as sub-brands locally. ¹⁴

Record June and momentum toward 2027

The anniversary comes amid strong sales momentum. GWM says its June 2026 result of 6,104 deliveries was the strongest month in the brand's 18-year history in Australia, citing VFACTS national sales data. The company reports this equated to a 4.7 per cent market share, seventh place overall, a 20.5 per cent year-to-date volume increase and a 7 per cent improvement on its previous record month set in March 2026. ²

GWM's breakdown of the June result shows the Haval Jolion leading with a record 2,446 deliveries, the H6 and H6 GT combining for 1,433 sales, and the Cannon and Cannon Alpha ute range contributing 1,171. The company says the all-new ORA 5 added 275 units as stock arrived across the dealer network in late June. Electrified models played a visible role: GWM says the arrival of additional Tank 300 PHEV supply contributed to 258 plug-in hybrid deliveries in June, with the electrified variant accounting for 49 per cent of all Tank 300 sales that month. Plug-in hybrids accounted for 21.0 per cent of the June sales mix and hybrids a further 25.6 per cent, per the company's figures. GWM adds that plug-in hybrids delivered an 8.0 per cent share of segment, ranking the brand second in the category, while hybrids achieved a 5.7 per cent share of segment and fourth place. Each GWM Australia sales region recorded its best-ever month. ²

GWM's own framing of the result was direct. "This is the strongest month in GWM Australia's history, and it's a direct result of the investment we've made in our product range and our people," the company stated in its record-month release, adding that with nine new models arriving over the next six months, "we're only getting started on the drive to Top 5." ²

The result lands ahead of what GWM describes as its busiest launch period locally, with nine new models set to arrive over six months as the company pursues its stated ambition of becoming a top five automotive brand in Australia by 2027. ²

Anniversary offers and the Haval H7 launch

The 18th-year milestone is accompanied by a promotional push. As reported by AutoEvolution, GWM is offering 0.88 per cent annual percentage rate finance (2.71 per cent comparison rate) over a 36-month term with no deposit and no balloon payment on eligible models, including the Haval Jolion Hybrid, H6 in gasoline, hybrid and Hi4 PHEV form, H6GT hybrid and PHEV variants, the Tank 300 Hi4-T PHEV, Tank 500 Hybrid and Hi4-T PHEV, and the Cannon Alpha Hi4-T PHEV. Alternatively, driveaway savings of up to AU$4,000 are available on selected SUVs and utes throughout October. ⁶

The celebration month also brings a new model to market. AutoEvolution reports that the first batches of the all-new Haval H7, unveiled at Australia's Everything Electric show in September with a promised mid-October sales release, have now arrived, with first deliveries starting before the end of October. AutoEvolution says interest in the new H7 is rising faster than for any previous GWM model, and that the model has taken centre stage at GWM's pop-up at Chadstone Shopping Center, which the publication describes as the Southern Hemisphere's largest shopping centre. GWM Australia head of marketing and communications Steve Maciver said the level of early interest from prospective buyers across Australia demonstrates that GWM looks to have the formula just right with this new model. ⁶

On specifications, AutoEvolution details a boxy midsize SUV with four trim levels and two electrified powertrains. Lux and Vanta grades are offered in both hybrid and plug-in hybrid configurations, with GWM's Hi4 all-wheel drive standard. The hybrid produces 182 kW, while the plug-in hybrid makes 320 kW, sprints to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, offers 137 km of electric range and a Vehicle-to-Load function. All H7 variants carry a rear differential lock, 4x4 Expert Mode, 1,500 kg braked towing capacity, a full-size spare wheel, a 360-degree camera with transparent view and a 15.6-inch touchscreen running GWM Coffee OS with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Pricing starts below AU$50,000, per AutoEvolution. ⁶

Local engineering and a broadening range

GWM's anniversary messaging emphasises local engineering as a differentiator, saying Australian roads and customer feedback now influence vehicle development through local testing and validation programs. In an interview with CarExpert, chief operating officer John Kett said the company is close to signing off on a new technical centre in Melbourne to house local ride, handling and steering development, technical training and research, following the sale of the Lang Lang proving ground. He also said China has assigned four engineers to work alongside the local team daily, and that Australian-developed tuning is beginning to appear in the base characteristics of GWM products globally. ¹³

Kett told CarExpert the brand's strategy rests on competing across every powertrain, with the goal of being top five in petrol and diesel, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles alike. He said new 3.0-litre diesel engines will appear in the Tank 500 and Cannon Alpha, Hi4 technology will arrive in the Cannon around September, and that by the end of next year GWM expects to have one of the broadest model ranges in Australia and New Zealand, if not the broadest. ³

He also confirmed a V8 is coming. As Kett put it to CarExpert, "you'll definitely see a V8 in one of our products next year", initially most likely in a Tank model, with the company planning to offset the emissions impact through its plug-in hybrid and electric lineup. He added that the corporation's supercar will almost certainly be the first application for a V8 plug-in hybrid powertrain. Kett also told CarExpert that Wey will be introduced locally later in the year, alongside the existing Haval, Tank, Cannon and Ora brands. ³

Context: GWM among an expanding field of Chinese brands

GWM's milestone lands as Chinese brands reshape the Australian market. CarExpert's overview of Chinese brand tenure notes GWM finished September as Australia's sixth best-selling vehicle brand, and describes how brands including Chery, MG and LDV have their own histories of launches, exits and returns, while newer entrants such as BYD, Zeekr, Xpeng, Jaecoo and Denza have arrived over the past five years. The publication observes how quickly some of these brands have moved from unknowns into the top 10, displacing brands with more than a century of history. ⁴

Globally, GWM's parent company describes itself on its press site as a mobility company founded in 1990 and headquartered in Baoding, China, operating in more than 170 countries and regions with a portfolio spanning the Haval, Wey, Tank, Ora and POER brands. ⁵

For now, the 18th year is shaping as the brand's most active locally. Between a record June, nine new models scheduled over six months, the Haval H7 arriving this month and anniversary finance and driveaway offers running through October, GWM's own framing, echoed in its sales reporting, is that the push toward a top five position is well underway. ¹²⁶