Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motor (GWM) is preparing a European relaunch centred on hybrid and combustion vehicles and a regional plant by 2030.

The company intends to build a European factory with annual capacity of 300,000 vehicles by the end of the decade as part of a broader goal to double overseas sales to one million units.

Parker Shi, president of GWM International, said in an interview reported by Reuters that Europe is critical to achieving the company’s 2030 target.

GWM’s renewed effort follows an unsuccessful initial rollout after its 2021 debut at the Munich Motor Show.

European sales dropped 25.4% in 2024 and almost 30% in 2025 to roughly 3,500 units, leading the company to shut its Munich office in 2024 and shift operations to the Netherlands.

To rebuild its regional presence, the automaker plans to widen its dealer footprint, lift residual values and diversify its powertrain offering beyond electric vehicles.

Its first new European launch will be the Ora 5 city car in electric and hybrid variants, followed by two petrol-powered SUVs under the Haval brand.

Last month, GWM introduced a new global vehicle platform designed to support more than 50 forthcoming electric, hybrid and internal-combustion models.

According to the report, the competitive environment has evolved since GWM’s earlier entry.

BYD’s European sales more than tripled to 187,657 vehicles in 2025 from 50,912 in 2024 after it added plug-in hybrids and expanded distribution.

Globally, GWM delivered 1.32 million vehicles, up 7.3% year on year, with overseas volumes rising 11.7% to 506,066 units, driven by gains in Australia, Latin America, South Africa and Southeast Asia.

Limited access to the US, India and Japan markets means the company cannot reach its 2030 overseas target without a stronger European foothold, the report added.