In Great Wall Motor's May sales data, there is a surprising highlight—the Ora brand.

Ora sold 6,018 units in May, a year-over-year surge of 206.88%, leading all Great Wall brands. In a month where Haval, Tank, and Great Wall Pickup all saw declines, only Wey and Ora maintained growth, with Ora's rebound being particularly outstanding. From January to May, Ora's cumulative sales reached 15,583 units, a year-over-year increase of 46.66%.

Looking back to the beginning of the year, Ora's situation was not easy at that time.

Throughout 2025, Great Wall's cumulative sales reached 1.3237 million vehicles. Most brands grew, but Ora declined by 23.68%, with annual sales shrinking to 48,300 vehicles. At the time, many felt Ora might gradually become marginalized like this.

Entering 2026, the situation once got worse. In January, Ora sold only 2,057 units, down 6.2% year-over-year, remaining the only brand in the group to decline. February saw a drop to 1,263 units, almost hitting rock bottom.

The turning point appeared in March.

On March 12, 2026, the Ora 5 made its global premiere in Bangkok, Thailand. Built on Great Wall's new "Guiyuan" platform, this platform's biggest feature is supporting pure electric, hybrid, and fuel power forms simultaneously. For a small car brand that originally insisted on "pure electric all the way," this step was not easy, but in hindsight, it was quite a pragmatic move.

On April 25, the Ora 5 Hybrid and Fuel versions were officially launched at the Beijing Auto Show. In May, all three power versions worked together. Ora's brand sales rose from around 2,000 units at the beginning of the year to 6,018 units in May.

It is less about market preference and more that Ora finally found a way closer to users.

In the 2026 new energy market, it is not as hot as the previous two years. Overall new energy passenger vehicle sales for the first four months declined over 10% year-over-year, especially small electric cars below 100,000 yuan, where the decline was close to half.

Ora 5 did three relatively solid things.

First, returning the choice to users. The pure electric version is left for city commuting and policy needs. The fuel version covers areas where charging is not convenient. The hybrid version balances cost and convenience with a tested 3.74 liters per 100 km fuel consumption. Three power forms correspond to three different life scenarios. The Guiyuan platform disassembles the vehicle structure into 49 core modules and 329 shared components, with a part commonality rate exceeding 70%, allowing Great Wall to develop three versions simultaneously at a relatively low cost.

Second, pricing is relatively pragmatic. Ora 5 Fuel version suggested retail price starts at 79,800 yuan, limited-time new swap price starts at 69,800 yuan during launch; Hybrid version suggested retail price starts at 89,800 yuan, limited-time new swap price starts at 79,800 yuan; Pure electric version guidance price falls in the 99,800 to 133,800 yuan range. Under the background of purchase tax halved and battery prices rising, this price points to the most sensitive interval for many families buying cars.

Safety was not compromised. Ora 5 all models adopt cage body structure and five-layer battery safety protection system. Great Wall Motor Chairman Wei Jianjun emphasized in introducing the Guiyuan platform that "Life First, Safety Supreme" is the platform's core philosophy. For a small car, this is quite rare.

According to the plan of Ora Brand General Manager Lu Wenbin, 2026 will be Ora's product year. Ora will maintain a pace of launching one new car per month. Relying on the Guiyuan platform, it will continue to launch products with multiple power versions like pure electric, hybrid, and fuel. It will also expand to various body forms such as Hatchbacks and Sedans and SUVs, perfecting the product matrix.

From the revealed plans so far, the Ora 5 is just a starting point. Lu Wenbin explicitly stated that the Ora 5 Family will cover multiple niche categories including A-segment SUV, A-segment Sedan/Hatchback, A+ segment SUV, A0 segment Coupe, providing multiple power forms like fuel, pure electric, and hybrid.

This means Ora is transforming from a "small car brand" to a "brand covering multiple niche categories". The Guiyuan platform provides the technical foundation for this expansion. The platform is compatible with five power forms, covering 7 major categories including Sedan, SUV, Off-road SUV, Pickup, MPV, Sports Car, etc. It is expected to launch over 50 global models. This platform's 70% part commonality rate makes multi-power, multi-category product layout possible in terms of cost and efficiency.

At the same time, Ora is also upgrading existing models. Lu Wenbin explicitly denied rumors of classic models exiting the market. "Good Cat, Ballet Cat and other classic models remain very popular. For example, Ballet Cat sells very well in Shanghai, and can be seen everywhere on the streets." He stated that these models will not stop production. Ora will continue to iteratively upgrade them. Some models will also undergo power upgrades, maintaining the classic user base while attracting new users. Additionally, in 2026, the Ora brand will also undergo intelligent upgrades for its on-sale models Ballet Cat and Flash Cat.

In terms of brand architecture, Ora and Salon have completed integration, and Salon's model Mech Dragon has moved into the Ora community. Through deep collaboration of the dual brands, Great Wall hopes to cover a more complete price range in the pure electric field, extending from Ora's mainstream market to Salon's planned high-end luxury market.

Ora's other important battlefield is overseas.

Currently, the Ora 5 has started shipping to Brazil and Europe, and will be launched in these markets successively in the near future. Great Wall Motor plans to achieve 40% sales growth in the Thai market in 2026, and has added 10 billion Thai Baht investment for this purpose. The Ora 5 is the key vehicle to achieve this goal.

According to the plan, starting from Thailand, Ora will further expand to Europe, Oceania, Middle East, Latin America, Africa and other markets. In Great Wall Motor's overall overseas layout, the overseas progress is accelerating, and Ora has become an important source of incremental sales after Haval.

More worth noting is that Ora's understanding of the overseas market no longer stays at the level of "exporting products". The brand positioning has shifted from "New Energy Vehicle that Loves Women More" to "Global Fashion Boutique Car Brand". Communication advocacy has been upgraded to "Live Up Your Shine". Facing global young users, adapting to the real needs of different markets with a more open product logic.

Of course, looking at it calmly, this 206.88% year-over-year growth rate is partly because the base of the same period last year was indeed low (1,961 units). A monthly sales volume of 6,018 units still has room compared to the high point when Ora brand monthly sales exceeded 10,000 in 2021.

Additionally, current growth mainly relies on one new car, the Ora 5. Taking the retail data of the first four months of this year as an example, Ora 5 Pure Electric sold 4,464 units, Good Cat sold 2,629 units, while Ballet Cat sold only 4 units. The resilience driven by a single vehicle needs time to test. But Ora has obviously realized this. Its dense product planning and matrix expansion are active responses to this risk.

But regardless, Ora has walked out of the coldest winter. In this May where Great Wall's overall sales are not yet clear, Ora proved its value of still being needed by users with a mild rebound. This is probably the most comforting item in this monthly report.

Source: Auto Observer

On June 1, Great Wall Motor released sales data for May 2026. New car sales for the month were 100,399 units, a slight decrease of 1.79% compared to the same period last year. However, looking at the cumulative performance from January to May, total sales reached 475,815 units, a 3.64% year-over-year increase. The cumulative growth rate has turned positive, and the core business remains solid.

The domestic passenger car market overall faced pressure in May, with only a few top domestic brands achieving month-over-month growth. In this environment, Great Wall maintaining the monthly sales threshold of 100,000 units was not easy in itself. More noteworthy is that behind this report card lie two entirely different growth curves—the rapid progress of the overseas market and the uneven performance among its sub-brands.

The most milestone change in May sales comes from the overseas business. Data shows Great Wall Motor's export volume reached 50,688 units that month, a sharp 46.75% year-over-year increase. The proportion in total sales broke through 50% at 50.49%. In other words, for every two cars sold by Great Wall, one is driven away by overseas consumers. This marks the first time Great Wall Motor's export share exceeds domestic sales, signifying its globalization strategy has officially upgraded from an "added bonus" to "half the market".

Looking at the entire domestic brand camp, exports are becoming the common growth pole for all top automakers. In May, Chery's export share was as high as 73.39%, while BYD reached 41.89%. Great Wall entered the first tier of exports with a share exceeding 50%. According to the 2026 overseas sales target of 600,000 units set at the beginning of the year, 231,300 units were completed in the first five months, the progress bar pulled to about 38.6%. Considering the second half of the year is usually the peak season for overseas delivery, the pressure to complete the annual target is not great, and there might even be a possibility to increase it.

From the perspective of regional layout, Great Wall's overseas strongholds are concentrated in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. The Thailand factory has achieved localized production and radiates to surrounding areas. The recognition of models such as Tank and Pickup in the Middle East market continues to rise. From "Product Going Global" to "Ecosystem Going Global", Great Wall's globalization story is moving from quantitative change to qualitative change.

Beneath the total volume of 100,000 units in May, the performance divergence among the five major brands is significant.

WEY sold 8,119 units that month, a 31.78% year-over-year increase. As the high-end representative of Great Wall, WEY gradually opened the high-end market with configuration upgrades on models such as Gaoshan and Lanshan (such as Coffee AI Sound audio, new smart cockpit). ORA even welcomed a highlight moment. May sales were 6,018 units, skyrocketing 206.88% year-over-year. Although the base last year was low, such double-digit growth still indicates that ORA's brand recognition in the pure electric compact car market is accelerating its return.

GWM Pickup continues to play the role of a "stabilizer", selling 13,628 units in May. The Great Wall Cannon series continues to lead the sub-market.

At the other end of the growth spectrum, the two pillar brands Haval and Tank are both under pressure. Haval sold 55,478 units in May, a 3.84% decline year-over-year. Although the volume is still the largest, this downward signal is worth being alert - the compact and mid-size SUV market is experiencing a fierce impact from new energy competitors. Tank brand sold 17,067 units in May, a significant 18.34% drop year-over-year. The demand for the hard-core off-road market has obvious cyclical characteristics. After the explosive growth in the early stage, it has entered a rational correction interval, which belongs to normal fluctuations, but it also reminds Tank to accelerate product iteration and new energy steps.

In addition, Great Wall Motor has previously clearly stated that in 2026 it will focus on terminal channel upgrades, product matrix enrichment, and brand awareness enhancement. From the brand performance in May, the implementation of this strategy has become imperative.

On the new energy track, Great Wall Motor sold 30,447 new energy vehicles in May. Horizontal comparison with peers—BYD's single-month new energy has exceeded 350,000 units, Geely broke through 130,000 units, and Chery also passed the 100,000 unit threshold—Great Wall still has considerable catching-up space in the new energy segment. ORA's high growth is gratifying, but the absolute volume is relatively small, and its structural contribution to the entire group is limited.

On the product front, May was exactly the intensive landing period for multiple heavy new cars from Great Wall. WEY flagship six-seat SUV "V9X" went on sale on May 18. Relying on the positioning of the first mass-produced model of the Guiyuan S platform, dual VLA large model AI agents, and hard-core configurations such as standard rear-wheel steering + dual-chamber air suspension for the entire series, it bears the task of breaking through the brand upward. Haval Mongoose PLUS went on sale on May 15. With "5-seater + 7-seater" dual layout, Hi4 electric four-wheel drive, and up to 255km CLTC pure electric range, it focuses on the 160,000-200,000 yuan boxy SUV market. These new cars take time from listing to batch delivery. May data has not fully reflected their contribution. True volume increase may have to wait until the second half of the year.

Beyond sales, Great Wall Motor's Q1 2026 financial data also reflects the pain of the transformation period. Q1 revenue grew year-over-year, but net profit attributable to the parent company was only 945 million yuan, a significant 46.01% drop year-over-year. The company explained that the decline in net profit was mainly affected by exchange rate fluctuations brought by last year's same period exchange gains, which is a non-recurring factor.

More importantly, the long-term layout at the strategic level. In January this year, Great Wall officially released the Guiyuan Vehicle Platform. This platform is compatible with five power forms: fuel, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, pure electric, and hydrogen fuel cell. The parts universality rate is as high as 80%. The unification of this underlying capability will provide systematic advantages for subsequent model cost control and product iteration, which is the core chip for Great Wall to cope with competition in the next five years.

From an industry perspective, the Chinese auto market in May 2026 has clearly presented a structural characteristic of "weak domestic demand, strong exports". Great Wall Motor proved itself occupying a favorable position in this wave of going global with an export share exceeding 50%. In the second half of the year, with the continuous volume increase of overseas markets, the delivery ramp-up of domestic new cars, and the further effort of new energy products, whether Great Wall can achieve a double breakthrough in total volume and structure is worth continued attention.

May's 100,000 unit sales volume is a passing paper, but also a differentiated test paper. Overseas market surpassed domestic for the first time, writing new coordinates in Great Wall's globalization process; WEY and ORA's high growth provided imaginative space for brand upward; Haval and Tank's decline sent a clear signal that competition upgrades must be accelerated.

"If you don't go global, you're out" is becoming a true portrayal of the 2026 Chinese auto market. Great Wall gave its own answer with an export share exceeding half. The highlights to watch next are clear: Whether overseas volume can maintain high growth, whether new energy products can break the "low base" label, and whether the new cars launched intensively in May can rapidly ramp up volume at the terminal. The 2026 elimination round continues, and Great Wall has already prepared an extra moat for itself.

On April 24, the 2026 Beijing Auto Show opened. Great Wall Motor exhibited with the theme "Contract". Haval, Wey, Tank SUV, Ora, Great Wall Poer, and Great Wall Soul Motorcycles brought nearly 60 display vehicles with powerful debut. The powerful product matrix and hardcore technology made the Great Wall Motor booth full of visitors and became a highlight of the show.

Contract spirit is the key to accelerating high-quality development. As a starting point, Great Wall Motor adheres to the philosophical approach of seeking truth from facts, treats users and the industry sincerely, and builds solid product power, technical power, and global brand power. Great Wall Motor President Mu Feng stated at the press conference that trust, represented by contract spirit, is the most solid cornerstone of the business world. Relying on a global perspective, he pointed out that Great Wall Motor will focus on the European market, build a complete business ecosystem, and emphasized the promotion of "ecosystem going global", establishing long-term trust contracts with local users based on respect and in-depth cultivation.

Strong Matrix Interprets Superior Product Power

Product power is the direct embodiment of corporate competitiveness. At this auto show, Great Wall Motor brought a full-scenario product matrix, including Haval Mongoose PLUS, Haval Mongoose PLUS 7-seater version, Wey V9X, Wey New Gaoshan, New Tank 700, Great Wall Ora 5 Multi-power version, Great Wall Ora 5 Sports version, Great Wall Poer Hi4-T, and Great Wall Soul S2000C Cruise Classic version, among others, making a joint appearance and highlighting their strength.

Haval Mongoose PLUS embodies the Tao of squares and circles, showing the beauty of edges and corners, fully displaying full-function comfortable space and super-long range, and equipped with a rear axle electronic control mechanical dog clutch differential lock. Pre-sale started on April 18, with a pre-sale price starting from 189,800 yuan. Haval Mongoose PLUS 7-seater version directly addresses the real pain points of multi-person families in vehicle use, possessing advantages such as versatile spacious space and full-domain intelligence, truly achieving worry-free travel in all scenarios. It was officially pre-sold at this auto show, with a pre-sale price starting from 193,800 yuan.

AI luxury six-seater flagship — Wey V9X is the first large six-seater flagship SUV of the Guiyuan S platform, adopting Eastern classic aesthetic design concepts. From a full-scenario architecture of one vehicle with multiple sizes and one vehicle with multiple powers, to the million-level power confidence of Super Hi4 and million-level driving texture of Super Intelligent Chassis, to the intelligent interaction of the Super Native AI Cabin Cockpit, the Guiyuan S platform, with its full-stack self-developed hardcore technology cluster, presents a new height for luxury platforms. On April 17, the Wey V9X was officially pre-sold, with a pre-sale price starting from 371,800 yuan. The Wey New Gaoshan blends intelligent technology with Eastern aesthetics, achieving "everyone has a good seat", opening a new era for MPV families.

The new Tank 700 uses Qilin as its core design language, deeply integrating the noble image of Eastern auspiciousness with the power of rugged off-road vehicles, establishing a differentiated identity for Chinese luxury off-roading. The new Tank 700 builds a dual flagship power system of the second-generation 3.0T Hi4-T and 2.0T Hi4-Z, equipped with a million-level chassis, and first adopts the VLA large model in a non-load-bearing body, while reshaping the safety benchmark and achieving full-scenario NOA road protection. On April 20, the new Tank 700 was heavily launched, with a launch price starting from 428,000 yuan.

Great Wall Ora 5 interprets Ora's positioning as a "global fashionable premium car brand" with multiple power versions, highlighting the advantage of one vehicle with multiple powers, combining appearance, intelligence, and worry-free experience. Based on the global concept of "one vehicle with multiple postures", Great Wall Ora 5 Sports version brings a forward-charging momentum with a lower body posture and adds exclusive sports kits and color-blocking designs, satisfying users' dual needs for personal expression and handling sensation.

Great Wall Poer Hi4-T covers both passenger Poer and commercial Poer dual versions, adopting the strong off-road super hybrid architecture Hi4-T, equipped with Coffee OS 3 smart cockpit, supporting high-power external discharge, anxiety-free long-distance travel, and continuous climbing without overheating, making it a "real new energy pickup truck" with full-scenario adaptation, high intelligence, and super safety. Great Wall Poer Hi4-T was officially pre-sold at the auto show, with a pre-sale price starting from 149,800 yuan.

 Great Wall Soul S2000C Cruise Classic version is equipped with eight-cylinder eight-gear power and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 automotive-grade chip, emphasizing "more composed, purer, more fun",取消了边箱与风挡 (removed side boxes and windshields), adopting a new exhaust system, possessing a 690mm low seat height, and relying on a full-figured shape and light handling, becoming a new choice for easier control and more personality.

Multi-dimensional Breakthroughs Highlight Hard Technical Power

Higher product power cannot do without the support of technological strength. At the bustling Great Wall Motor booth, its technology exhibition area attracted large numbers of visitors to stop, intuitively showing the multi-dimensional progress of Great Wall Motor in technology research and development.

At this auto show, Great Wall Motor brought a brand-new high-performance power architecture, including the brand-new Super V8 engine that fills the gap in the field of self-developed large-displacement high-performance power, and the lightweight solution ranking among the world's best, heavily using carbon fiber materials, as well as the mid-engine power layout first adopted, achieving excellent handling performance. In the future, from racing to consumer-grade, the brand-new high-performance power architecture, as a key systematic technology reserve, can guarantee multi-line product landing and strengthening, broaden the development path of Great Wall Motor, and contribute to the development of Chinese automotive sports and racing culture.

In the field of intelligence, Great Wall Motor has already established a "moat" in the dimensions of data, algorithms, and computing power, and its intelligent products such as the VLA assisted driving large model are highly praised. Great Wall Motor's other two core technologies — Great Wall Guiyuan Platform and Great Wall Hi4, are also hot spots at the booth. The Great Wall Guiyuan Platform is compatible with PHEV, HEV, BEV, FCEV, and ICE five power forms, using native AI as the foundation, integrating hardcore technologies such as dual VLA large models to build a native full-stack intelligent agent, while reconstructing safety logic with AI, achieving deep integration of active and passive safety, and solidifying the safety bottom line. Great Wall Hi4 has become a "power family" that can serve different scenarios based on diverse needs. Among them, the new generation Hi4 technology continues to promote four-wheel-drive equality with "four-wheel-drive performance, two-wheel-drive energy consumption", and the Pan-off-road Super Hybrid Architecture Hi4-Z interprets the wisdom of Dujiangyan based on power split technology, forming a synergy with the Strong Off-road Super Hybrid Architecture Hi4-T, strengthening Great Wall Motor's dominant position in the off-road field. In addition, Great Wall Motor also showcased a longitudinal diesel hybrid powertrain for the future, dedicated to providing more choices.

"Ecosystem Going Global" Builds Global Brand Power

In recent years, Great Wall Motor has continued to accelerate its going-global pace, and its global influence has continued to rise. The Great Wall Motor booth also attracted large numbers of foreign friends to visit and exchange, adding another touch of "international style" to this auto show.

Adhering to the concept of win-win, relying on the "ecosystem going global" model of "research, production, supply, sales, and service" going global comprehensively, Great Wall Motor continues to improve its overseas system power, build a global brand, and now possesses over 16 million global users, over 1,500 overseas sales channels, and cumulative overseas sales of over 2 million vehicles. It has also established 3 full-process vehicle production bases in Thailand, Brazil, and other places, and owns multiple KD factories in Ecuador, Pakistan, and other places. Great Wall Motor is also accelerating the global launch of high-value vehicles. Not only going "out", but also going "up". For example, products under the Tank SUV brand have been sold to more than 30 countries and regions and have become hot off-road brands in high-potential markets such as the Middle East.

Reliable products are contracts for users, technology accessibility is a contract for original intention, and "ecosystem going global" is a contract for integration into the global community. Moving forward to the "15th Five-Year Plan", Great Wall Motor will continue to adhere to contract spirit, deepen intelligent new energy, exert deep effort in technology, off-roading, and globalization, provide users with better experiences, and create value for the industry.