Great Wall Motor (GWM) is making headlines as it plans to establish an autonomous driving research and development center in the United States, specifically in Silicon Valley. This move signifies GWM’s commitment to advancing in the smart driving segment, as reported by local media sources.
The new R&D center in Silicon Valley will operate under the leadership of GWM’s current Chief Technology Officer, Wu Huixiao. The team at this center will focus on recruiting top smart driving talent from Silicon Valley through headhunting efforts.
GWM has a history of investing in smart driving technology, having spun off its smart driving division in 2019 to create Haomo.AI Technology, an independent subsidiary dedicated to research and development in smart driving technology. The company has raised multiple rounds of funding for Haomo, which remains majority-owned by GWM.
While GWM has integrated Haomo’s smart driving solutions into some of its vehicle models, the city NOA (Navigate on Autopilot) feature is still in development and not yet available. In addition to its in-house development and Haomo’s solutions, GWM also collaborates with smart driving solution providers.
In a strategic move towards autonomous driving, GWM invested $100 million in DeepRoute, an autonomous driving startup, in November 2024. This partnership aims to develop autonomous driving solutions for select GWM vehicle models. Furthermore, GWM has also secured orders from another Chinese autonomous driving startup, Momenta, further solidifying its position in the smart driving space.
In terms of sales performance, GWM reported selling 77,883 vehicles in February, marking a 9.65 percent year-on-year increase but a 3.77 percent decrease from January. In the January-February period, GWM sold a total of 158,816 vehicles, representing a 9.28 percent decline compared to the same period last year.
Notably, GWM also saw success in the new energy vehicle (NEV) market, selling 15,121 NEVs in February, a 23.24 percent year-on-year increase. However, this figure was down 32.08 percent from January. In the January-February period, GWM sold 37,384 NEVs, maintaining a relatively stable performance compared to the previous year.
GWM’s expansion into the US market with an autonomous driving R&D center reflects the company’s forward-thinking approach to innovation and technology. As the automotive industry continues to evolve towards autonomous driving, GWM’s strategic investments and partnerships position it as a key player in the smart driving landscape.
