Great Wall
Chinese cars are coming and Great Wall will be the first. Look out for the Voleex and Steed
Chinese manufacturers have been building up for a car export onslaught for several years now, but 2011 sees the first models finally arrive in the UK.
Great Wall leads the way, and it’s not doing things by halves. The initial plan is to have 50 dealers, the first of which will open in late spring. That total will rise to around 75 over the next few years. Many of the showrooms are expected to be linked with Daihatsu, Subaru and Isuzu outlets, because the same company – IM Group – is importing Great Wall cars.
So what models will you be able to buy? There’s no official word yet, although the Steed pick-up and Voleex city car are likely to be first, with an SUV following in 2012. As Chinese cars are still something of an unknown quantity, one of the big issues for customers will be build quality and reliability. Bosses say both are far better than people are expecting, though.
