Great Wall Motors (GWM) has announced the launch of an updated and Euro 5-compliant version of its Wingle model. Italy will be the first market in Europe to see the facelifted pick-up. There, it will be the Great Wall Steed 5.
The new self-developed 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine was one of the first from a Chinese manufacturer to comply with the European Commission’s latest emissions norms. GWM announced the unit in August 2010, stating at the time that its Baoding powertrain plant in Hebei province has the capacity to build 140,000 such engines a year.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Great Wall Italia’s importer has ordered a first batch of 343 units of the Steed 5. These vehicles have just been dispatched from Tianjin Port. The remainder of what is a 2,000-vehicle order will be shipped by November. GWM claims the Steed 5 is the first Chinese diesel engine pick-up to be sold in the European Union.
Great Wall is represented in Italy by Brescia-based Eurasia Motor Company. Later this year, IM Group, the existing importer for Isuzu and Subaru vehicles, will launch Great Wall in the UK, effectively replacing its Daihatsu franchise following the Toyota affiliate’s decision to exit Europe by 2013. This will be Great Wall’s second EU market.
Meanwhile, the Chinese manufacturer’s first European assembly plant will commence operations in September. This facility, at Lovech in Bulgaria, will build three models: the Voleex C10, Wingle 5 (Steed 5) and Haval H6 (Hover 6). The initial capacity is a claimed 50,000 vehicles per year.
Author: Glenn Brooks
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData
