The new factory of the Chinese company Great Wall Motors (GWM), in Iracemápolis, in the interior of São Paulo, inaugurated this Friday (15) by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is the first of the automaker in the southern hemisphere and the third outside China with full production base. The others are in Russia and Thailand.
The structure, with a total area of 1.2 million m² and a built area of 94 thousand m², has welding area, robotized painting line, assembly line, power supply systems and equipment, as well as an integrated supply and logistics chain.
The plant, which currently employs about 600 employees, produces Haval H6 hybrid SUV, available in four versions; The Poer P30 medium pickup, and the HAVAL H9 SEV SUV, both equipped with turbodiesel engine.
Currently, GWM Brasil has over 110 registered national companies interested in providing components, of which 18 are already suppliers who are participating in the production and development of the first vehicles, such as companies such as BASF, Bosch, Dupont and Pirelli.
“Brazil is strategic for GWM. With this factory, we are not only producing cars, but also generating quality jobs in the country and developing technology and innovation for the whole continent,” said GWM Global CEO Mu Feng.
The GWM unit in Brazil has the capacity to produce 50,000 vehicles a year and is expected to generate 1,000 direct jobs by the end of this year.
Research center
During the inauguration ceremony, the automaker announced the creation of GWM’s first Research & Development Center (P&D) in South America. The Center will feature more than 60 technicians and engineers working on local product development and testing, focusing on flex technology and adaptation of global vehicles to Brazilian road conditions.
The new center will be built on the ground next to the Iracemápolis factory and will have 15,000 m² of total area, 4,000 m² of built area.
“The new center will feature a state -of -the -art technical structure with state -of -the -art laboratories to develop hybrid and electric systems, new generation fuels and artificial intelligence,” explained GWM International President Parker Shi.
GWM’s total investment in Brazil will be $ 10 billion in 10 years. Of this amount, the first phase of investment, of R $ 4 billion, runs until 2026, which includes the launch of the brand in the country and the reactivation and expansion of the Iracemápolis factory. In the second phase, the company will invest $ 6 billion, between 2027 and 2032.
