From Cowry to Coolbear, Great Wall Puts on a Show

Great Wall, a major pickup truck and SUV producer in China, is about to launch its second plant to produce passenger cars and minivans. That explains the company's special emphasis on those categories in its display at Auto Shanghai. Altogether, there will be 10 new models and a self-developed engine.

IL previewed the Cowry and the i7 earlier this month. The i7 will be the first model to roll out of Great Wall's new 200,000-unit-a-year production facility, which will come on stream later this year.

Other new models will include the Toyota-like Florid and Coolbear, plus the Peri. All were shown at Auto Beijing last year. The Peri got Fiat's attention for its striking similarity to the Italian automaker's Panda. A pending lawsuit couldn't stop Great Wall from creating a four-wheel-drive version of the minicar the company calls its "first mini-SUV."

In addition to the new cars, a new self-developed gasoline engine will be highlighted. Code-named "GW4G15," it is a four-cylinder, 16-valve DOHC unit with variable valve timing and a Bosch engine management system. This powertrain complies with Euro 4 regulations.

Great Wall Cowry

BAODING, China — Great Wall Auto, which has yet to display its vehicles in North America, is in the process of gradually expanding its product portfolio. China's largest maker of pickup trucks and SUVs last fall displayed three small-car concepts at the Beijing Motor Show, and later this month it will unveil two additional vehicles at the Shanghai show.

In keeping with its colorfully named predecessors (Florid, Cool Bear), the latest Great Wall concepts are dubbed Cowry and i7, although China insiders also know them by their more prosaic development code names of V80 and CH031, respectively.


The Cowry (V80) is a compact four-door MPV that would look right on home on the streets of Tokyo, if not Santa Monica. Fitted with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, it will be priced from $15,500 to $19,400.

The i7 (CH031) is a jaunty five-door hatchback with an exaggerated, oversize grille. It will be offered with a range of four-cylinder gas and diesel engines from 1.2 to 1.5 liters and will be priced from under $15,000.

Both models are scheduled to go on sale in China later this year. They are among five new models that Great Wall plans to exhibit at Shanghai, including a 4x4 edition of the GW Peri minicar.

Great Wall executives say they hope to sell 120,000 vehicles this year, including 80,000 in China and 40,000 overseas. Last year, the company built around 100,000 vehicles, virtually all of them pickups and SUVs.