The Chinese car manufacturer, Great Wall Motor, has just announced that it will close its headquarters in Europe, located in Munich, Germany, a measure that will take effect from August 31.
The brand claims difficult market conditions for electric vehicles, along with the threats of European tariffs on Chinese imports.
The closure of Great Wall Motor’s European headquarters will mean the dismissal of 100 workers, as reported by a spokesperson for the brand to “Automotive News Europe“.
However, the company confirmed that it will continue to market its models in some European markets, but its operations will now be supervised from China.
It is worth noting that at the end of 2023, Great Wall Motors revealed that its expansion plan in Europe included entering the markets of Spain, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Iceland, and Bulgaria by 2024, a plan that has now been canceled with the decision just announced.
In the first four months of this year, Great Wall Motors sold 1621 vehicles in Europe, representing a 147% increase compared to the same period last year, according to data released by Dataforce. The best-selling model is the Ora 03, with 1,491 units sold, followed by the Way 05 with 297 units.
