Great Wall Motor (GWM) reportedly works on the luxurious 5.5-meter sedan for a new brand codenamed ZX (don’t confuse it with ZX Auto). It will have an NEV powertrain and will rival Hongqi, Bentley, and Rolls-Royce models. So, GWM is back to the sedan business after an 8-year drought.
Great Wall Motor started manufacturing sedans in the early 1990s. In 2012, GWM launched its latest sedan, a facelifted version of the Great Wall Voleex C50. Its manufacturing was halted in 2016 due to the low demand. In 2020, GWM presented a four-door concept car called Futurist at the Beijing Auto Show. Next year, GWM applied for patent images of the new sedan with retro styling. Its spy shots leaked online in 2022. But then it fell off the grid. Now, GWM is once again trying to resurrect the sedan segment, working on a luxurious product.
GWM ZX sedan
One of the biggest Chinese car outlets, Autohome, reported that Great Wall Motor is developing a new luxurious sedan for a high-end NEV brand called ZX, referring to its sources. It has also shared a first render image of this vehicle. It has a high bonnet line with a flattened front bumper, big 8-spoke rims, a low beltline, and cameras instead of rear-view mirrors. The vehicle shown doesn’t have door handles.
The ZX sedan’s body length reportedly reached 5.5 meters. For clarity, it is slightly shorter than the Rolls-Royce Ghost with an extended wheelbase. It will also feature an NEV powertrain. It seems that this sedan will compete with Bentley, Rolls-Royce, and Hongqi L-Series models in China.
No more details on this sedan were provided. GWM can reveal more information on the ZX sedan this year. But there is still a chance it will sink into oblivion like its predecessor with retro-styling. Currently, Great Wall Motor sells cars under five brands: GWM Pickup, Haval, Tank, Wey, and Ora. Previously, this company launched one more brand called SAR. But it was discontinued, and its only model, Mecha Dragon, will become a part of the Ora brand.
Source: Autohome
“….GWM is once again trying to resurrect the sedan segment, …”
As an SUV and Pickup maker, by origin, Great Wall doesn’t want to be sidelined as a ole light truck maker that becomes irrelevant, in the flux of the current NEV market.
It’s clear that BYD’s sudden rise has given it some anxiety.
I don’t know why it didn’t follow through on development of the larger, post-Voleex, Mecha Dragon, as well as the iQ5, and P8 GT sedan.