Great Wall builds up NZ range

The X240 SUV is based on the China market's Hover H3.

Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motors is about to extend its model line-up in New Zealand and Australia with a mid-range sports utility vehicle and small five-door hatchback.

The SUV will go on sale in New Zealand before Christmas and the hatchback early next year. "We are not sure exactly when we will get the hatchback," said Laurie Malatios, general manager of importers Ateco Automotive NZ. "We are still talking about dates."

Both the SUV and the hatchback will be the first Chinese-built passenger vehicles to go on sale in New Zealand.

They are likely to be followed by single-cab versions of the SA220 and V240 dual-cab utilities that launched the Great Wall brand in New Zealand and Australia in June. Turbo-diesel versions of both utes will follow.

The SUV is based on the China market's Hover H3 and will be called the X240 in NZ and Australia. The hatchback hasn't been given a Downunder name yet, although it is based on China's five-door Florid.

Both vehicles are yet to receive official Australian Design Rule approval. The Hover H3 was the first Chinese vehicle to be sold in numbers in Europe.

Like the V240 ute, the X240 will be powered by a Mitsubishi-sourced 4G64-series 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission.

The same Bosch-developed 2.8-litre turbo-diesel that will become available in both Great Wall utes could also become available in the Hover.

The SUV Hover is based on the Toyota 4Runner chassis with a body taken from a 2002 Isuzu Axiom. It weighs 1720kg, rides on a 2700mm wheelbase and measures 4620mm long, 1800mm wide and 1710mm high, making it almost as long but narrower than a Toyota Highlander.

Ateco claims that both dual-cab utes are selling as quickly as supplies permit, with 274 sales recorded in July and Great Wall's 43 dealers in New Zealand and Australia taking orders for more than 300 vehicles.

"No one is getting carried away at this early stage, but we are greatly encouraged by the initial success of Great Wall's products and the enthusiasm of our dealer network," said Malatios.

The utes, the 2.4-litre V240 in both two- and four-wheel drive and the 2.2-litre SA220 in two-wheel drive only, have made a strong entry into the market.

The two-wheel drive V240 is priced from $26,990 and the four-paw variant from $29,990.

The entry-level SA220 starts at $21,990.

Standard equipment includes five-speed manual gearbox, electric windows, alloy wheels, leather-trimmed seats and air-conditioning.

ABS anti-skid brakes are standard on the V240 models but not on the SA220 - making it pretty much the only new vehicle on sale in NZ without ABS. Each model comes with a three-year/100,000km warranty.

Ateco has been working for three years to bring GWM products to New Zealand, says company managing director Ric Hull.

"Great Wall is one of China's leading carmakers," he said. "This year China will make and sell more vehicles than any other country in the world. "Every mainstream car and component manufacturer is represented there. Access to technology is virtually unlimited.

"China's car industry has come a long way in a very short time. World-class production facilities are becoming commonplace in China."

No word on price yet but the X240 is expected to come well equipped, offering leather, electric seats, six-disc CD and so on.