(G)o (W)ith (M)ore: GWM is a brand with a car for everyone – Feature
If you’re in the market for a new car nowadays, you’re spoilt for choice. There are more brands now than ever in the automotive scene, and choosing has been harder than ever. What also happens is that the more brands there are, the easier it is for brands to fall by the wayside and get drowned out by the noise. One such brand has been GWM Philippines.
Having glided by the past few years, staying below the radar, they recently revamped their local team with the intention to elevate the brand, and the first thing the new team did was bring us media to the Auto Shanghai 2025 show for an in depth and all around view of what GWM is all about.
Go With More (GWM)
To give you an idea of the scale of the Auto Shanghai show, picture that the GWM booth alone is already bigger than the whole MIAS show put together. That’s one brand occupying the whole floor space of MIAS already, and Auto Shanghai 2025 has multiple brands occupying the same size booths all throughout.
Arriving at any international Auto Show always gives me a sense of just how small our market is compared to the rest of the world, let alone a behemoth like China. GWM is one of the major players in China, with a whole host of sub-brands that we also have locally, like Tank, Ora, and the luxury brand Wey, while also branching out to motorcycles. So you can already picture how many cars they have under each sub-brand.
I spent my time walking around their booth, familiarizing myself with the current crop of products and technologies that they have to offer, including their highly technological and touted Hi4 technology. This is their crown jewel when it comes to the Tank brand, which is their off-road SUV specialist. Hi4 is a very intelligent, electrified 4-wheel-drive system that utilizes mechanical and technological instruments to give the best off-roading and efficiency experience.
In all honesty, I think it’s much more advanced than what BYD has with the Shark 6 DMO, with Hi4-equipped vehicles having the ability to go much further in full EV mode than the competition, while still retaining the full rugged experience.
Experiencing is Believing
GWM has this belief (which I agree with) that experiencing is believing; it’s easy for us to be wowed and awed by product presentations and launches, but driving the actual car is the true barometer for any vehicle, regardless of brand. So we were given the opportunity to sample GWM’s vehicles during a whole day test drive experience, both in a closed area, featuring slaloms, heavy braking, gymkhana, and a simulated off-road experience as well.
Most of what we drove were the Haval, Tank, and Wey models, which featured electrified and Internal combustion engines. I didn’t expect much from these tall riding SUVs; they weren’t built to take corners quickly and abruptly, and yet GWM has managed to make engaging SUVs. They’re not sports cars, but they can take corners without inducing vomit from the passengers or drivers. I was particularly smitten by the Haval H7 “Big Dog”, which is a crossover/SUV with striking tough looks and a very upscale feeling interior.
The H7 I liked was the Hi4 model, and it drove fantastically, the turning radius was good, the ride was more than decent, and the Hi4 powertrain ensured it was alive and super responsive. I enjoyed the H7 thoroughly around the slalom course; it felt like a really well-thought-out product.
We moved to the simulated off-road area, where there were different simulated surfaces we could try. Before that, we were treated to GWM’s advanced and proprietary autonomous driving system called NOA (Navigate on Autopilot). The NOA is a level 2 system featuring more advanced autopilot features compared to the available systems we know locally. It has the ability to better scan the road conditions and have the ability to move lanes, steer, accelerate, and decelerate on its own, with the driver having minimal input.
After sampling NOA, we now had our chance to try out the off-road course, and as expected, the GWM Tank and Haval models excelled; they are, after all, the go-to brands when it comes to off-roading in China, taking a considerable amount of the market. Which is no surprise because these vehicles perform exceptionally well when the going gets tricky, barely registering any hint of stress or lack of ability.
Poised for more
Spending 7 days with an automotive brand is more than enough time to get to know them. I can say with full certainty that GWM, as an automaker, is a serious one. I got this general sense that the people behind the brand are more of the “let’s make the product speak for itself” type.
Each person who spoke about a certain aspect of GWM’s product development team is seriously competent and qualified. This brand’s capability shows in the end result of how the vehicles perform on the road. I wasn’t alone as well, I could tell my fellow media delegates from all over the world seemingly understood what GWM stands for as a modern auto brand.
With a new team behind the local GWM group, and a whole host of relevant and exciting products in the global catalogue, I’m seriously excited for what GWM PH’s next chapter is, it has the unique ability to offer any type of buyer the car they want, they have the expanse of models, backed up by the commitment and expertise to make good products which I think the Filipino buyers would want.
