China to Box and Ship Great Wall to Bulgaria

You read that correctly, dear reader, though it’s not what you think. We’re not talking about the Great Wall, we’re talking Great Wall Motor [sic], a Chinese automaker that builds everything from sedans to pickups to hatchbacks and SUVs - some of which will bring to mind [sic times two] models from other European and Japanese carmakers. And, by mid-year 2011, Great Wall Motor will have a factory in Bahovitsa, Bulgaria! Yippee!

If you, like me, know only a few things about Bulgaria, here’s a little summary from the CIA World Factbook: it sits between Romania and Turkey; it has a population of around 7 million; Communism was dropped in 1990; the country joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union in 2007 and its primary exports are clothing, iron and steel, machinery and fuels. Fascinating!

The new plan is the brainchild of Bulgarian tycoon, ex-wrestler and self-professed patriot Grisha Ganchev. Mr. Granchev’s Litex firm raised 90% of the €97 million (US$130 million) needed the build the plant, with Great Wall providing the last 10. The plant is expected to generate 1,220 jobs and build some 50,000 vehicles from knock down kits a year.

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British Group to Import China's Great Wall Motor Cars Into Europe from 2010

The Chinese maker of original masterpieces such as the Fiat Panda Haval M1, GWPeri, Toyota-Scion Florid and Coolbear, Great Wall Motors, has struck a deal with I.M. Group, a UK-based automotive importer and distributor for Subaru, Isuzu and Daihatsu, to import its vehicles into Europe starting from next year. The British company said that it will initially target the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and from 2011, the Scandinavian region, the UK and Ireland.

"Great Wall Motor Company, one of the few privately-owned Chinese car companies, has copied designed and built all of the European-bound models specifically to meet EU whole-vehicle type approval standards," I.M. Group said in a prepared statement for the press.

"This will ensure that Great Wall models deliver high standards of crash-worthiness, equal to those of modern European and Japanese vehicles."

The UK-based importer said that it will release further details about the launch of the Great Wall brand next year.

The Chinese automaker became known to the Western public a few years ago when it introduced a series of cars that shamelessly copied European and Japanese products including the Fiat Panda and Toyota - Scion cars.

Last year, the Fiat Group sued Great Wall Motors in Europe and China to prevent the company from selling the GWPeri claiming that the mini closely resembled it's Panda model. While the Fiat Group won the legal battle in Europe thus keeping the GWPeri out of the EU, a Chinese court in Hong Kong dismissed Fiat's claims for infringement.

You can get a taste of the numerous production and concept vehicles from Great Wall Motors in our gallery below.

Shanghai Clone Wars: Great Wall Florid Bonds Scion xA with Toyota Yaris

One of the most eye-popping examples of car-cloning at this year's Shanghai Auto Show is the Florid hatchback from China's Great Wall Motors. What's surprising about the Florid is the fact that it actually copies the design of two vehicles, bonding in a uniquely Chinese way, the body of a Scion xA to the front end of a current generation Toyota Yaris. Inside, the Chinese automaker preferred to keep things simple, maintaining the original Scion xA's dashboard layout.

The driving force behind the Yaris and xA "inspired" subcompact hatch is a Great Wall Motors developed 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 87 horsepower and a maximum torque of 115Nm. For the 2009MY - or so to say, Great Wall Motors extened the Florid's range with the introduction of more powerfull 1.5-liter engine with 105HP.

2006 Scion xA

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Great Wall Motors Florid