, but the pandemic made them delay their plans by around a year.
All in all, Great Wall Motor is bullish for the ASEAN market. In Thailand, they’re set to launch five new models and hopes to bring sales up to 20,000 units this year compared to the 3,702 units in 2021. Last year, their Haval H6 became one of Thailand’s best-selling compact SUVs, out-performing the Honda CR-V in terms of sales.
The company added that it will continue its expansion into electrification in Thailand, where it expects to see significant development in the segment this year. According to GWM Thailand MD Narong Sritalayon, Thailand’s total annual car sales is expected to reach 850,000 units in 2022, up 12 percent from the previous year, and of that total, 11.4 percent would be electrified models.
This would be more than double the 40,000 electrified vehicles sold in the country last year, he said. To grow the market, Narong said the company will invest in EV infrastructure, particularly in charging stations, which the company hopes to expand to 55 nationwide this year.