GWM sales from Jan to Sept up 29.9% year-on-year

Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motors said on Monday that it sold 100,022 vehicles in September, down 15.4 percent from the same month last year.

The sweeping chip shortages have affected its production, adding that it has been trying its best to acquire semiconductors, said the carmaker based in Baoding, Hebei province, in a statement on Monday.

Despite the dip, China's largest pickup and SUV maker saw its sales in the first three quarters totaling 884,000 units, up 29.9 percent from the same period last year.

Of its five brands, Haval vehicles accounted for the majority of Great Wall Motors' sales in September.

Their sales in September reached 54,561 units, and deliveries in the first three quarters totaled 543,858 units, up 22.2 percent year-on-year.

The Haval H6 SUV was the best-seller, with 25,409 units sold in September. Great Wall Motors said Haval vehicles' cumulative deliveries exceeded 7 million by the month.

Great Wall Motors' electric car brand Ora saw its sales in September reach 12,770 units, up 92.93 percent year-on-year. The brand's total sales this year reached 84,731 units, up 254 percent year-on-year.

Its premium Wey brand sold 4,662 vehicles last month, down 48.41 percent from the same month last year.

Great Wall Motors' pickups continued their sales momentum, with over 20,000 sold in September. In the first nine months, over 166,726 pickups were sold, up 3.98 percent year-on-year.

The carmaker continued its overseas expansion. Last month, 11,437 units were sold in international markets.

Great Wall Motors' overseas sales from January to September totaled 97,946 units, rising 136.3 percent from the same period last year.

At the IAA held in Germany last month, Great Wall Motors' Wey and Ora announced their European strategy.

Wey is to deliver its first model in Europe, which is a plug-in hybrid SUV called Coffee 01, in early 2022. It will start to take orders later this year on the model.

"As the vanguard of Great Wall Motors' overseas strategy, Wey will start first in Germany and then go to other parts of Europe," said Sun Bing, a senior executive in charge of the marque's operations in the European Union.

Wey said it is to open its first European experience center in Munich in 2022 and more than 60 service stations are to be set up that year.

Ora announced its European campaign as well, with the first model to be delivered in 2022.

The marque said it will offer five NEV models in two years for customers in Europe, and more than 10 models will be available on the continent in 10 years.

" (Their arrivals show that) Chinese carmakers now have the courage and ability to take European brands head-on," said Great Wall Motors in a statement.