Haval H10 or Great Wall H10? Wei Jianjun Made Three Calculations on One Name

Written by | AUTO Heart Ball

Author | AUTO Heart Ball Team

Just now, Great Wall H10 was officially unveiled.

The first flagship of the Guiyuan platform, Fangding aesthetic design, full LiDAR equipped Coffee Pilot 3 advanced intelligent driving, Hi4 hybrid, 5-seat and 6-seat versions — specs are strong, nothing to argue.

What truly made this car spark controversy on trending topics before its unveiling was its name.

Before this, Wei Jianjun initiated a public name solicitation campaign, cumulatively receiving over 180,000 comments, nearly 300,000 netizen interactions. Among them, 38% of users voted for "Haval H10". Haval veteran owners' reaction was particularly direct — the H series has been made for twenty years, since the H6 continuously topped the SUV sales chart, "H + Number" equals Haval and equals National SUV in many people's minds.

Now the most flagship model, the surname changed from Haval to Great Wall, controversy is unavoidable. On social platforms, the word "Home raided" appeared repeatedly. Internal Haval system backlash was also not small, the most important narrative anchor for the brand moving up, directly taken by the Group brand.

Objectively, these emotions are real, Haval fans' unwillingness can be completely understood. But if you only discuss this name at the emotional level, you cannot get out of a zero-sum framework — as if as long as the name is not Haval, Haval "lost", "suffered a loss".

But Wei Jianjun forcefully overrode public opinion to decide "Great Wall H10", calculating never who took whom's advantage. This is a thirty-year level global arithmetic, this account is almost invisible in the domestic market, but putting it in the coordinate where Great Wall's overseas sales ratio hit 48.3%, the interests and stakes are very clear.

Of course, to calculate this account clearly, we still need to start from the Guiyuan platform.

A "Born Global" chassis, paired with what brand name?

Great Wall H10 is built on the Guiyuan platform.

Guiyuan's core definition is one sentence: The world's first native AI full-power automotive platform — a chassis compatible with plug-in hybrid, hybrid, pure electric, hydrogen, fuel five power forms. That is to say, the Guiyuan platform from the first day of design was simultaneously considering Middle East fuel preference, Southeast Asia hybrid demand, Europe pure electric acceleration, China plug-in hybrid explosion — same chassis pulled out, to corresponding market install corresponding powertrain.

What concept? Compare with peers, top-level design showing leadership is very significant. Volkswagen MEB only does pure electric, Toyota TNGA takes fuel as main, electric just auxiliary.

"Native AI" this layer is not a bonus. Guiyuan platform at architecture level reserved intelligent driving and intelligent cockpit integration space, H10 full series standard LiDAR Coffee Pilot 3, is the platform AI capability first implementation result.

In other words, H10 is not "adding" intelligence on a traditional chassis, this car from the bone architecture design is made for intelligence era.

So, just such a platform from technical bottom line heading to global market, its first flagship product, should hang what brand name?

Call Haval H10, overseas call Haval H10?

For consumers in Russia, Thailand, Australia, this is only a new car from a Chinese sub-brand. It has no direct narrative connection with GWM company's overall technical strength — consumers don't know relationship between Haval and GWM, and don't know H10 product used GWM most advanced technology.

Call Great Wall H10, overseas call GWM H10!

Then global consumers see, this Chinese car company named GWM, pulled out its most advanced platform flagship product. Technical strength and brand name have no break — this connection once closed, afterwards in any market seeing GWM Haval, GWM TANK, GWM ORA, consumers memory will automatically stack onto GWM parent brand.

So, putting a "Born Global" technical chassis into a sub-brand name with only domestic emotional cognition, on global narrative, is a subtraction. But, if able to align parent brand name and global technical chassis — brand asset and technical strength transmission middle has no break, this is the correct addition.

48.3% after, brand matrix in global market is a multiplication or a division?

Great Wall H10's other half arithmetic, comes from ONE GWM strategy.

2025 Shanghai Auto Show, Great Wall released this strategy: globally unify use GWM as parent brand identifier, Haval, WEY, TANK, ORA, Great Wall Cannon from independent brand downgraded to category. Of course, this is not not have sub-brand anymore, but no longer let sub-brand fight individually.

In outsiders view, this series of actions seems too radical.

Why Great Wall so radical? To understand this action urgency, there is a number: 48.3%.

2025, Great Wall overseas sales 506,100 vehicles, account for total sales 38%. 2026 Q1 overseas sold 130,100 vehicles, year-on-year growth 43.1%, overseas ratio directly hit 48.3%. At this growth rate, this year overseas over half will be a settled fact — going overseas has become the group's second major revenue pillar.

Volume reached this level, multi-brand strategy overseas account starts to be calculated backwards.

Past ten years, almost every Chinese car company was layoutting brand matrix — Great Wall itself listed Haval, WEY, ORA, TANK, Maha long string, BYD listed Dynasty, Ocean, Denza, Yangwang, Fury, Geely side is Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr, Lynk & Co, Lotus, Galaxy. This play style for incremental market works very well, new brand occupied new cognition, users also willing to pay.

But once overseas went to a level, same market five six brands each open channel, each do marketing, each build service network — every set burning money, every set scale not big enough, burn not compound interest. Answer became clear, brand assets only when a name constantly repeated, start to accumulate.

Global consumers in Russia remember GWM Haval, in Thailand remember GWM Haval, in Australia remember GWM ORA, names all have GWM three letters, memory is stacked. But if flagship car not call GWM H10, call Haval H10, then in brand asset most should focus on that anchor point, story scattered.

This arithmetic, not only Great Wall doing.

Geely Li Shufu this year in Chongqing forum announced "One Geely" strategy, put Geely Automobile Group Co Ltd redundant entities orderly close, merge and transfer, advantage resources concentrate to 0175.HK which is Geely Automobile only one core listed platform. Li Shufu original intention very direct: orderly close, merge and transfer redundant entities, concentrate resources strengthen one listed platform — from industry word, is "do subtraction".

Same math question, two enterprises with completely different play styles, give answer direction consistent — past ten years everyone doing brand multiplication, using new brand grab new market, tell new story. Now arrived at doing merger time, collect scattered resources to one main trunk, change brand appeal from addition to multiplication.

This is not coincidence.

Chinese car company going overseas previous few rounds, walked product going overseas path — put domestic sell well cars slightly modify pull out sell, hit Southeast Asia, Middle East, Latin America still OK. But arrived at need enter developed countries market, hit global war of attrition stage, have product not enough. You must have a name be continuously remembered locally, a brand symbol be continuously accumulate trust.

Look back at global car market, Toyota enter US fifty years, name not changed. Volkswagen enter China forty years, name not changed. Name unified, not marketing strategy, but globalized enterprise infrastructure.

Great Wall H10 naming, put into this industry background look, is ONE GWM strategy at product level fall first chess piece, also is Chinese car brand from "Multi-brand layout" to "Single-brand concentration" this transition period a landmark event. Overseas call GWM H10, domestic call Great Wall H10 — global one name, brand only can unify send one voice.

Brand name compound interest, thirty years only calculate clear

Great Wall H10 this name, Wei Jianjun personally decided.

He definitely know this controversy how big. But he clearer, this choice if now not do, afterwards cost bigger.

Assume called Haval H10, short term public opinion calm, Haval fans no opinion, H series narrative complete, China market cognition zero cost leverage. But overseas brand account continue fragmentation, Guiyuan platform global story tell not round, ONE GWM strategy at most critical flagship product missing a puzzle piece, GWM brand asset accumulation forever owe an anchor — war fight further to back, this anchor point more important.

Now called Great Wall H10, short term carry controversy and public opinion pressure. But long term situation different, GWM H10 is global market parent brand flagship first bugle horn. Afterwards overseas consumers again see GWM Haval, GWM TANK, GWM ORA, background board all have this H10 — it is this set brand narrative start.

For Haval, change view, this event not "Home raided". Haval in "One Great Wall" system under positioning instead clearer, both sales cornerstone, also mass-market SUV expert. Brand system each return to position after, level than before clearer, not more blurry.

And this brand merger behind, exactly is Great Wall currently overall strategy one deep shift.

2026 Q1, Great Wall single car average price 166,000 Yuan, in domestic brands rank first. Detailed look this number, not price cut bring out, but product structure and brand positioning step by step adjust out. Wei Jianjun in multiple occasions said, Great Wall not chase sales ranking, protect profit, protect brand, protect long-term competitiveness — this sentence put in 2026 competition particularly fierce car market background, weight very heavy.

Past two years, Chinese car company collective exited price war. Obviously, everyone not not want fight, is fight not move — 2026 Q1 auto industry overall profit margin only 3.2%, further down is loss. Other side, consumers also not only look at price, range, charging, advanced intelligent driving, after-sales system, these value elements for car purchase choice influence weight always improving.

In short, rely on low price grab market strategy, actually is overdraft enterprise long-term capability. H10 call Great Wall not call Haval, also this set logic part — this car competition dimension not price, in brand value and technical foundation. Guiyuan platform flagship, hang parent brand name, is tell market, Great Wall following products, compare no longer who cheap, but who more worth.

Again look out look today Chinese car globalized, actually also only walked first half. Previous few rounds product going overseas, that is put domestic sell well cars pull out sell. Arrived at need hit global war of attrition stage, compete not is brand many, story many, SKU many, compete is brand can overseas consumers heart grow a unified, continuous recognizable face.

Wei Jianjun decided moment, I want bet not is H10 this one car can sell well. After all, Guiyuan platform product power is there placed, sell well is high probability thing. He bet is ten years after, when GWM in global market brand penetration power truly start realize, look back today this name choice, is do addition or subtraction.

Specifications will evolve, technology will iterate, but brand name once set down, thirty years no need change.

This is this naming controversy bottom, most worth staring look thing.

*This article images all from network

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