Great Wall to hike overseas sales, countering overall drop

BEIJING — Great Wall Motor aims to boost overseas sales this year, an official at China’s top pickup truck maker said on Saturday, helping to ease an overall drop caused by COVID-19.

The company plans to sell 70,000 vehicles outside China, up from 65,000 last year, Sun Guang, vice general manager at Great Wall’s international marketing department, told reporters at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition 2020.

Great Wall earlier this year forecast overall sales would fall to 1.02 million this year from last year’s sales of 1.06 million.

International sales make up around 7 percent of Great Wall’s overall sales, and Great Wall plans to increase that gradually, Sun said.

Sun said the Baoding-based automaker plans to start building vehicles in Thailand and India next year, but did not offer detail. Great Wall said earlier this year that it would buy two plants in the two countries from General Motors .

The company also plans to sell cars in the European Union.