GWM Holds 2026 Overseas Supplier Conference to Strengthen Global Partnerships

GWM held its 2026 Overseas Supplier Conference in Baoding, China, on November 6, under the theme "Working Together for a Shared Future." The event brought together supplier partners from China and overseas markets.

At the conference, GWM executives outlined the company's global strategy, overseas business targets, plans for local product development and technology, and future cooperation with suppliers.

As GWM moves from exporting vehicles to building local production and business operations in overseas markets, the company aims to develop closer and longer-term relationships with its suppliers. The two sides will work more closely in R&D, manufacturing, supply chain management and local market services to support GWM's global expansion.

GWM Targets Four Key Regional Markets

Zhao Guoqing, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Supply Chain Officer of GWM, said that long-term success in global markets requires more than strong sales. It also depends on stable business operations, continued R&D investment, technical capabilities, supply chain management and brand development.

He said GWM follows a business philosophy based on honesty, reliable cooperation, stable operations, reasonable profits and long-term investment. The company wants to build partnerships with suppliers that share its commitment to long-term development.

GWM is also changing its overseas business model. Instead of focusing mainly on vehicle exports, the company is expanding its local operations across R&D, manufacturing, supply, sales and after-sales services.

GWM currently operates three full-process manufacturing plants in Thailand and Brazil, as well as several KD assembly plants in countries including Ecuador and Pakistan. Its overseas sales network has more than 1,700 outlets, and its vehicles are sold in more than 170 countries and regions.

From January to October 2026, GWM sold 540,000 vehicles overseas, up 38% year on year.

Looking ahead, GWM plans to develop several key overseas markets, each with annual production and sales of more than 100,000 vehicles. It also aims to establish more overseas bases covering the full automotive industry chain.

Five Areas to Strengthen Global Competitiveness

Zhang Gengshen, Vice President of GWM International, outlined the company's product and market plans for the next three years.

GWM will develop products across six major categories: small urban vehicles, compact vehicles, mid-size and large vehicles, off-road vehicles, pickup trucks and MPVs. The goal is to build a product lineup for global markets while adapting vehicles to local customer needs.

The company will focus on four regional markets: Europe, Southeast Asia, Latin America and Central Asia. It aims to develop each into a market with a scale of 200,000 units.

To support these goals, GWM will strengthen five areas of its global operations: brands, products, sales channels, services and organizational management.

For its brand strategy, GWM will bring HAVAL, ORA and GWM POER together under the GWM brand, focusing on reliability and value for money. TANK and WEY will maintain their own positions, highlighting their product features and technology strengths.

For product development, GWM will use its Guiyuan platform to develop vehicles with different powertrain options and body configurations. The company plans to expand its lineup of internal combustion engine, hybrid and battery-electric vehicles to meet the needs of different markets and customers.

For sales channels, GWM will introduce a "6+1" channel management system to improve the development and operation of its overseas sales network.

For after-sales services, the company will use the high level of parts commonality offered by the Guiyuan platform to improve parts supply and inventory management. GWM has already established two regional parts distribution centers in the Middle East and the Netherlands. In 2027, it plans to add two more centers in Central and South America and ASEAN.

For organizational management, GWM will improve coordination between its headquarters, regional offices and country-level teams. This is expected to shorten decision-making processes and improve the use of resources.

Through these five areas, GWM aims to build a stronger global operating system covering brands, products, sales, services and management.

Local R&D to Meet the Needs of Different Markets

Wu Huixiao, CTO of GWM, said customer needs, road conditions, fuel types and driving environments vary widely from one market to another. As a result, a single product solution cannot meet the needs of all global markets. Vehicle quality also depends on the entire process, from R&D and manufacturing to supply chain management.

To address these differences, GWM is building a common technology platform while giving its overseas R&D centers a greater role in product development.

GWM's headquarters in China focuses on platform development and key technologies. Overseas R&D centers are involved from the early stages of product planning, helping define vehicles based on local market needs rather than simply adapting models already developed in China.

For example, in Europe, the newly launched GWM H7 was developed under the leadership of GWM's Munich R&D center. The vehicle completed more than 100,000 kilometers of road testing and over 1,000 hours of customer research.

In Brazil, where drivers use gasoline blended with different proportions of ethanol, GWM developed a smart system that identifies ethanol content in fuel and automatically adjusts engine operation. This allows the vehicle to adapt to different fuel mixtures.

In Australia, GWM worked with suspension tuning expert Rob Trubiani to test and tune vehicles on rough roads and gravel surfaces, improving suspension stability and durability.

Through these local development projects, GWM aims to better understand customer needs in different markets and apply the technical experience gained in one market to other regions.

The company is also continuing to invest in R&D facilities. In September this year, GWM put its intelligent connected vehicle test center into operation. The facility represents a total investment of RMB 298 million and covers more than 2,200 test conditions.

GWM also operates facilities including an aerodynamic and acoustic wind tunnel, a crash test center and a comprehensive vehicle test site. The company now has more than 100 laboratories, covering over 2,000 types of testing.

Bringing Suppliers into Product Development Earlier

As GWM expands its overseas business, it is also changing the way it works with suppliers.

Wu Huixiao said the company will focus on three areas: continued technology development, earlier supplier involvement in product development and stronger long-term strategic partnerships.

In the past, suppliers often became involved after a vehicle's design had been completed. GWM now wants key suppliers to participate from the early stages of technology development and new vehicle projects. This will allow both sides to discuss technical solutions and address potential problems before production begins.

This year, GWM signed global strategic cooperation framework agreements with Autoliv and FORVIA. The partnerships will go beyond the supply and purchase of components to include joint work on technical standards, production capacity planning and project risk management.

Before the conference, supplier representatives also visited GWM's technology center, testing facilities and Xushui smart factory. They learned about the company's R&D and manufacturing capabilities through technical presentations and vehicle test drives.

Building Supplier Confidence, Improving Efficiency and Supporting Growth

For suppliers entering overseas markets with an automaker, the process often requires investment in local production, engineering and after-sales support. As a result, suppliers are concerned not only about orders but also about business stability, operating efficiency and long-term growth opportunities.

Li Shuhui, Vice President of GWM, said the company will focus on three areas to strengthen supplier cooperation: confidence, efficiency and growth.

To provide greater business confidence, GWM plans to offer suppliers involved in its overseas expansion long-term contracts, more stable orders and priority in business opportunities. These measures are intended to give suppliers greater confidence when making long-term investments.

To improve efficiency, GWM will continue to simplify settlement procedures and develop a digital supply chain platform. The platform will connect demand forecasting, order planning, production capacity preparation, inventory management, logistics tracking and quality control. This will help improve coordination across the supply chain.

Li said GWM wants to use data to identify and address potential problems earlier, reducing risks before they affect operations.

For long-term growth, GWM wants to help suppliers develop from component providers into global strategic partners. The company is not only looking for suppliers that can follow GWM into overseas markets. It also wants to help its partners become more capable of operating globally through their cooperation with GWM.

Working with Global Suppliers for Long-Term Growth

At the conference, GWM outlined its next steps in global expansion. The company will continue to develop local production and operations, strengthen its position in key regional markets, and improve local product development and service capabilities.

GWM also wants key suppliers to take part in product development at an earlier stage and work more closely with the company in technology, manufacturing and supply chain management.

By building long-term partnerships and combining their strengths in technology, manufacturing and market development, GWM and its suppliers aim to improve their competitiveness in global markets and share the opportunities created by the company's overseas growth.

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