GREAT Wall Motors (GWM) is not new to the Philippines. And as most Chinese brands during the debut years of these brands, it has gone through several distributors and failed numerous times to make its presence felt in markets outside China.
Great Wall’s media test drive at the Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC) was done weeks before its official launch. The event displayed a new mentality that I have not seen in other Chinese car brands before. Developing a strong after sales and get committed international support. GWM’s strategy coming from its Luxuriant team is spot on: “bring in the products but build the aftersales before even selling one car.”
“We are young and new, we have a mix of industry experts and newbies. The energy keeps us moving forward,” Ruben Tan, President of LAGI said in media launch earlier. He added that in order to achieve the same success as Great Wall Motor done in other ASEAN markets, his team will be committed to deliver a new customer experience through new technology and innovation, and aftersales excellence.
This aftersales excellence target compelled auto industry veteran Tonette Lee, GWM Philippines’ brand head and marketing director and of Luxuriant’s marketing group to help find the expert needed to lead the aftersales group. She looked at a ‘global aftersales champion,’ a former parts and warehousing executive to join LAGI.
“It’s a very competitive world out there. I can’t just run it on brand and comms. I needed someone with vast experience so we could move really fast on the aftersales,” Lee explained.
During the media test drive of Great Wall Motor’s Haval (its all-SUV brand) the compact Jolion (pronounced as Joh-li-on), Jolion HEV, the big H6 HEV, in hybrid and ICE forms and the diesel-engine GWM Cannon. The Havals are all crossovers that feature GWM’s Intelligent Modular Architecture (IMA), and the aptly name Cannon is a body-on-frame mid-sized pickup truck. All showcase an “indestructible” and “disruptive” aura but also one of dynamism, safety, power and consumer-attention.
LAGI constructed a purpose-built, off-road course just infront of the BRC’s entrance to prove the worth of the GWM Cannon, against its instant rivals, the Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-MAX, Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Strada.
“The course is tight and complicated, putting a lot of stress on the Cannon’s transmission and engine as well as its balance and traction,” 4×4 expert and course designer Beeboy Bargas said. The off-road course features areas that tested the vehicles articulation, wading depth, climbing abilities, and safety features like including hill-start assist, electronic stability control and hill descent control, especially in a 100-meter long trench that moved power from wheel to wheel to be able to drive across the obstacle.
Sporting a 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel engine, the Cannon crosses obstacles easily using the 161 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque it has under the hood. Its luxurious interior features leather seats with diamond pattern stitching for comfort and a spacious cargo bed for every entrepreneur’s utility use. When I drove the Cannon over the course, thrice, Beeboy didn’t stop me from getting overenthusiastic at the elephant holes and the sharp curve that hovered by a small ditch. The Cannon was always in line.
The technologies in the Cannon are very different from the ones in the Haval Jolion and H6 SUVs which were more on road vehicles, but had, as Tonette mentioned, “some capability in the dirt.” Depending on which vehicle, advanced features such as GWM’s Level 2 Autonomous Driving System comes as standard. But the active and passive safety features are shared across the whole line-up.
“It is almost impossible to wreck these cars due to driver error, when all of the systems are in operation,” Charlie Cruz, race driver and steward who marshalled my drives of all the Jolion vehicles across two laps at the Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC). “The technologies in these cars are very advanced, especially on the hybrid variant. It helps drivers, to drive better and be more conscious, actually of sharing the road thus being safer.”
GWM’s safety technologies go beyond ABS and active braking systems. The whole vehicle is wired to ensure that each system works in coordination with each other, for example, managing hard acceleration and sudden braking, whether it is the ICE or hybrid set ups. The Dedicated Hybrid Transmission or DHT which is a two-speed gearbox with a fixed shaft, for example, helps in engine braking and avoids wheel lock up.
“They mean it when they say intelligent driving features,” Cruz added.
The system uses a simple synchronizer and a sort of rev-matching that completes the speed adjustment before handing the power back to the combustion engine, which translates to quicker intervention of the combustion engine when needed.
The three modes give users more options for fuel economy and reducing one’s individual carbon footprint. After starting up on full electricity, and at low and medium speeds, the system switches runs both the gasoline and electric motor together. Called ‘series mode,’ the engine generates electricity which is fed directly to the electric motor to spin the wheels. At optimal and even higher speeds, or when the ICE is at its most efficient, the engine takes the role of propelling the vehicle, while the electric motor takes an auxiliary role. It even converts into a generator to harness kinetic energy to be stored in the vehicle’s lithium-ion battery.
First to be launched was the Haval H6 HEV is the hybrid version of the highly popular H6 compact SUV. It has a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine combined with a 130 kW Dedicated Hybrid Transmission, providing a maximum power output of 240 horsepower and 530 Nm of torque. It is available in DHT Supreme and DHT Max variants, with an introductory price at P1.883M and P1.788M respectively. With the pricing, GWM aims to make high-value HEV models more accessible to the market.
Haval Jolion, a subcompact SUV, can come with a hybrid powertrain, or a traditional internal combustion powertrain. The true hybrid variant comprises a 1.5L naturally aspirated engine, and a 115 kW Dedicated hybrid transmission capable of producing a combined output of 186 HP and 375 Nm of Torque. The ICE variant, on the other hand, is powered by a 1.5L turbo-charged engine with an output of 141 HP and 220 Nm of torque. It is perfect for city driving and comes with advanced safety features, including a blind-spot monitoring system, making it an ideal car for young professionals and small families.
For its suite of intelligent driving, and safety features, the Haval Jolion is suitable for the first-time SUV buyer and is available in four variants: HEV DHT Supreme, DCT Supreme, DCT Max, and DCT Plus, all carrying a very attractive introductory price of P1.588M, P1.248M, P1.128M, and P998K respectively.
Last to be revealed at the launch was the GWM Cannon pickup. Available in three variants with 4×4 and 4×2 sub-variants with an introductory price that starts at PK998,000 and tops at P1.498M.
“Our models reflect GWM’s commitment to innovation, safety, and sustainability, and we are confident that they will be well-received by Filipino customers,” Lee, emphasized during the April 11 public launch at the Shangri-la.
“We are proud to introduce the Haval H6 HEV, Haval Jolion, and GWM Cannon in the Philippines,” Tan said as he also revealed that GWM Philippines’ first dealer is located at 1232 U.N. Avenue, Paco Manila.
