Great Wall builds up NZ range

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.

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