China’s Great Wall Motors Starts Production of Electric Vehicles in Thailand

On January 12, 2024, China’s Great Wall Motor announced that it has begun production of the GWM Ora 03, also known as the GWM Ora Good Cat, at its GWM Rayong factory in Thailand. This marks the first overseas production of Great Wall Motor’s battery electric vehicle.

The company added that the batteries are supplied by S-Volt, a subsidiary of GWM Holdings, which started producing batteries in Thailand at the end of 2023. The planned capacity in Thailand is expected to meet the demand for 60,000 battery packs for electric vehicles, and it intends to build a comprehensive new energy chain, including V2G and V2L functions.

The Rayong factory, acquired in November 2020, began producing the hybrid electric vehicle Ora 03 in May 2021. The GWM Ora 3 is a model sold as the Ora Good Cat or the Ora Funky Cat, depending on the market. In November 2023, Great Wall Motor downgraded the brand names Ora (for BEVs) and Wei (for plug-in hybrids) to product names, and the brand returned to Great Wall or the abbreviation GWM.

Meanwhile, Chinese automakers’ entry into Thailand is increasing. The Shanghai Automotive Group began producing the MG4 in Thailand in November 2023. However, since the car factory is operated by SAIC-CP, a joint venture between SAIC and a Thai company, the MG4 from this factory can be considered a Thai company’s car.

Neta Auto also began production in December last year, and Guangzhou Automobile Group’s Aion, an electric vehicle brand, is planning an electric vehicle factory. Chang’an Automobile is also considering building an electric car factory. The battery industry is in a similar situation. SVOLT opened a battery assembly facility and a Gotion factory in December last year, as mentioned earlier. Eve Energy also announced the construction of a battery factory in Thailand.