Just two weeks after declining to discuss rumours with a local website, multi-brand importer Ateco Automotive has confirmed it will launch China’s first car brand in Australia and New Zealand next October, six months earlier than expected.
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Fairfax group motoring website drive.com.au reported reported at the beginning of June that Ateco would launch Great Wall Motors (GWM) vehicles next year, after testing vehicles in Australia early in 2008, but the importer’s spokesman Edward Rowe declined to say if discussions had taken place, confirming only an earlier-announced deal to distribute Chery.
On Wednesday, however, Rowe said in a statement that Ateco had been negotiating with GWM for almost three years.
“Strict confidentiality agreements have precluded Ateco from confirming that it has not only concluded negotiations but it also has been working on homologating the first GWM vehicle to be sold in Australia,” Rowe said.
“GWM will debut with a double cab ute [utility or pickup truck] that will retail for well under $20,000 in both Australia and New Zealand.”
“The GWM double cab ute will be just the start,” said managing director Ric Hull in the statement. “[It] will be followed soon after with a single cab ute, a compact SUV and an entry level light car.
“Pricing will be comparable to similar Korean models with a significantly higher specification.”
Ateco said GWM is one of China’s leading car makers and has been consistently at the top of its domestic car market with its ute and SUV models.
“From day one we have been thoroughly impressed with GWM,” added Hull. “World class production facilities are becoming commonplace in China and there is no doubt that GWM has set the production benchmark.
“But what sets GWM apart is the corporate culture that permeates through the organisation. The company motto is ‘improving little by little every day’ and from what we have seen the staff really do live and breathe this philosophy.
“Every time we go to GWM’s head office in Baoding, we are impressed by the progress that has been made since our last visit.”
“We targeted GWM for our Chinese plans because they are highly disciplined, organised and well led,” said Hull.
David Stone, who was instrumental in setting up Ateco’s Hyundai, Daewoo and Kia networks, will oversee the appointment of dealers to distribute Ateco’s new Chinese brands, with a target of 50 dealers across Australia for the launch of GWM in October.
In New Zealand the GWM distribution business will be run from Ateco’s Mount Wellington headquarters in Auckland via a network of five to six dealers at launch. The New Zealand product range will be common with Australia.
In addition to its Sydney headquarters, Ateco will also appoint regional managers for the key state operations, reporting to Peter McGeown who is newly appointed to the role of national sales manager.
McGeown was Ateco’s Queensland regional manager when Ateco represented Kia and was also involved with Daewoo and Toyota. He will set up an entire sales and marketing infrastructure for GWM, which will include national as well as regional operations.
Ateco also represents Fiat group brands and Citroen ‘down under’.
