Great Wall is Back!!!!!

[csv8]

AUSTRALIA’S cheapest ute — China’s Great Wall Motors — is set to make a comeback after vanishing from local showrooms for two years.

Great Wall utes will return with a new look and the promise of extra safety equipment later this year after earlier models were slammed for poor crash test results and had to be recalled because they contained asbestos parts.

Sales trickled to a halt over the past two years following a dispute between Great Wall Motors in China and the Australian distributor who introduced the brand locally in 2009.

Now the matter has been settled, 37,000 owners of Great Wall utes across Australia will be able to continue to access parts and service.

However, it is unclear how many of the original dealers will continue to represent the brand after Great Wall Motors suddenly stopped supplying vehicles to Australia two years ago.

A statement from Great Wall Motors’ luxury division Haval said the return of the updated ute range “signals the beginning of an exciting new era”.

Prices are yet to be announced but Great Wall Motors previously made a big impact on the ute market with sharp RRPs starting below $20,000.

After an initial peak, however, sales tanked in the wake of poor safety ratings and a recall for asbestos.

The new ute range will have a choice of petrol and diesel power and a “high level of standard equipment”, but will be available with manual transmission only.

This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling
http://www.news.com.au/technology/in...7bbfbcefe8877f

[Tonz]

Aarrrhh!!

[Sioso]

Didn't even realise they had left!
That says something right there.

[Fordman1]

Was Junk...

...still is Junk.

[Chopped]

We have one in our fleet. It is 4 years old and has done 80,000k.
Never broke down and basically did everything asked of it.

The gear box is notchy (getting notchier) and the air conditioning condensor died 6 months ago, took about a month to order in the replacement.

But it's time to say goodbye to it. Not getting another Great Wall.

[JG66]

Rubbish vehicles..
Get a Hilux instead

[TUF_302]

Originally Posted by Sioso

Didn't even realise they had left!
That says something right there.

Cant say id noticed either, was no great loss anyway

[Tommie]

Originally Posted by TUF_302

Cant say id noticed either, was no great loss anyway

Great What?

[tonys6550]

GREAT SCOTT!

Hey, if they're cheap and reliable and do the job, then who really cares where they come from. I personally wouldn't own one but I wouldn't berate someone that did either. Each to their own I say.

[castellan]

As for one of my brothers it's not a bad diesel 4x4 for the $ but not the best reliability little things going wrong and starter motor buggering up, to take off is truly gutless initially, great 6sd box and does everything well enough power and a top of the line interior, makes one of my mates Holden Colorado look like crap in side and I would not pay what Holden ask for them.
The petrol GW are total rubbish.

[XR815]

Aussies don't want chinese rubbish.. they want reasonable value and that is why they go to Nissan and Mitsubishi.. a few grand more gives so much more. Chery has packed up and left too.

[castellan]

Originally Posted by XR815

Aussies don't want chinese rubbish.. they want reasonable value and that is why they go to Nissan and Mitsubishi.. a few grand more gives so much more. Chery has packed up and left too.

Brother does not want rubbish but could not afford the others.
People are paying way to much for 4x4's it's a rip off.

[tonys6550]

Originally Posted by XR815

Aussies don't want chinese rubbish.. they want reasonable value and that is why they go to Nissan and Mitsubishi.. a few grand more gives so much more. Chery has packed up and left too.

Hahaha, you must be young!

This was the mentality of Japanese made poducts once upon a time too

[Work Horse]

Originally Posted by XR815

Aussies don't want chinese rubbish.. .

Sure we do have you been to Bunnings/Masters, Coles/Woolworth’s etc etc we can not get enough of Chinese manufactured goods, despite what it does to local manufacturing.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by tonys6550

Hahaha, you must be young!

This was the mentality of Japanese made poducts once upon a time too

When Chinese cars become as good as Japanese cars then more people may like them.
A work mate bought a Great Wall SUV few years ago. After owning it for a year I asked how it was going and he said he was sick of taking it back for warranty work. Nothing major, just little things falling off it. Door handle was one of the things I remember him saying.
The only other car I have driven that the door handle has come off was American, and 7 years old.

[FalconXV]

I will try asbestos possible to keep my aircon on recirc when i see one.

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by Ben73

When Chinese cars become as good as Japanese cars then more people may like them.
A work mate bought a Great Wall SUV few years ago. After owning it for a year I asked how it was going and he said he was sick of taking it back for warranty work. Nothing major, just little things falling off it. Door handle was one of the things I remember him saying.
The only other car I have driven that the door handle has come off was American, and 7 years old.

Lol door handles falling off. XF Falcons? I guess chinese quality is 3 full decades behind Ford Australia. But even then, Ford Australia still couldn't get some things right 30 years on..

[damo6]

Great wall of crap

[Blue Shadow]

They were not Great if you hit a Wall

[castellan]

Hey I was impressed with my brothers diesel apart from the initial take off as the turbo lags badly only just off idle.
All warranty was totally worthless and he is totally p ed off about that and would not take it back to the dealer he bought it from because he recons he may start punching people out.
EGR buggered up, I think they fixed that but not starter motor and all the rest that buggered up, fuel filler pipe buggered up, no warranty they did not want to know about it.
He bought a China made bike as well, now that was just total rubbish

But I would rather drive his Great wall then my mates two new Colorado rubbish, sure they have more power but it's just a 4X4 so who really cares that much about power.
The GW rides better and nothing stands out as better than in any other way.
I do say that the manual Colorado cutting out when changing gear makes it even more of a total dog to drive.

All 4X4's are like a barge pole to drive anyway.

[Rallye Sport]

They can't be much worse than the Ranger my work have given me...

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Lol door handles falling off. XF Falcons? I guess chinese quality is 3 full decades behind Ford Australia. But even then, Ford Australia still couldn't get some things right 30 years on..

Power window regulators and door lock actuators

You've got a choice:

Cheap Chinese ladder frame chassis ute that rides like *** and is slow as.

More expensive Thailand ladder frame chassis ute that rides like *** and is slow as.

Kinda like choosing between a punch in the face or a kick in the balls.

I've driven them all and none are really that good that make me want to buy one.

[Sprintey]

There's a third choice:
Most expensive LandCruiser 79 ute that still rides ***-like, will retain some value, but you must sell your second born into slavery to buy...

[Crazy Dazz]

The thing that gets to me, is that EVERYTHING is good value at the right price, but these just aren't. If you factor in the lack of resale, they're not good value considering the rubbish quality and other issues.
Given the right equipment, the right training, and the right supervision, China can make quality gear. But there's also a huge market for cheap junk, and that seems to be what we get.

[olds]

Great Wall has been back for months in the guise of Haval chinas largest selling SUV. They have tried to cleverly disguise them by not mentioning the great wall brand name. And yes they still are and always will be rubbish.

[2011G6E]

I refuse to laugh.

I can't be the only one old enough to remember the laughter, the derision, the jokes about the first Korean cars from Hyundai back in the eighties...the jokes about reliability, safety, made of tin cans, horribly designed, cheaply made, etc...

Some of us here might even be old enough to remember the same laughter and hatred of those funny new Jap cars in the mid to late sixties...much the same stuff that was said about Korean cars a couple of decades later.

Beware what will happen when China gets it's act together...

Originally Posted by olds

Great Wall has been back for months in the guise of Haval chinas largest selling SUV. They have tried to cleverly disguise them by not mentioning the great wall brand name. And yes they still are and always will be rubbish.

THANK YOU...I've been seeing those "Haval" things around (not bad looking utes actually) and wondered where they were all coming from all of a sudden.

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

I refuse to laugh.

I can't be the only one old enough to remember the laughter, the derision, the jokes about the first Korean cars from Hyundai back in the eighties...the jokes about reliability, safety, made of tin cans, horribly designed, cheaply made, etc...

Some of us here might even be old enough to remember the same laughter and hatred of those funny new Jap cars in the mid to late sixties...much the same stuff that was said about Korean cars a couple of decades later.

Beware what will happen when China gets it's act together...

Wonder why Thai cars never got the scrutiny. The drop in quality switching to Thai production the lack of price reduction to suit was sucked up by the masses and never questioned. Maybe most assume that because it's wearing a Honda or Toyota badge, it's made in Japan..

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Wonder why Thai cars never got the scrutiny. The drop in quality switching to Thai production the lack of price reduction to suit was sucked up by the masses and never questioned. Maybe most assume that because it's wearing a Honda or Toyota badge, it's made in Japan..

Correct...we bought our son a brand new car five years back...a little Suzuki Alto (super cheap to run for an apprentice) and it had "Made In India" inside the door on the compliance sticker. No one complains about Suzuki cars. In fact the Kizashi AWD is a bloody good sedan.

A little like the people who say they "will never buy any of that Chinese rubbish"...
Just don't look to close on the side of the box the parts come in for your car...
Japan has moved most of it's production to Thailand over the last decade or so. But no public outcry. Even...dare I say it...the much loved Ford Ranger whose praises are sung on this very forum is made in Thailand, and also in South Africa and Argentina...another couple of countries one doesn't readily associate with high quality goods...

"Price" is a good point you make. We seem to happily accept that Asian produced stuff is naturally much cheaper than Japanese or locally produced items because of the low wages and costs there...except when it comes to cars.
So...why does a Ranger made in Thailand cost for instance fifty grand-plus for a half decent level of trim...?

[Blue Shadow]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Wonder why Thai cars never got the scrutiny. The drop in quality switching to Thai production the lack of price reduction to suit was sucked up by the masses and never questioned. Maybe most assume that because it's wearing a Honda or Toyota badge, it's made in Japan..

That would be it, I don't most people know where their was built

[Agile]

Apprentice bought one second hand. THE most guttless POS that makes a 120Y from 40 years ago look like a F6. But guess what, they will sell **** loads of them because they ARE CHEAP. Thats Australia. We love cheap Chinese rubbish. We cant help ourselves...........speaking in the collective sense not the personal view.