GWM has also operated a joint venture with BMW Group since 2019 to produce electric Mini vehicles in China, under the name Spotlight Automotive.

By 1984, the workshop began producing his own commercial vehicles based on the Beijing BJ212, including small trucks called the CC130 and a large SUV, the CC513.

In 1986, he joined a company owned by Wei Deyi, his father, which focused on metal construction, water pipes, and heating parts.

[3][4] Upon taking charge, Wei Jianjun started developing passenger cars, and taught himself automotive engineering with his team.

By 1993, Great Wall produced several models based on existing designs, such as the Nissan Cedric (Y30) and Toyota Crown (S130), labeled CC1020 and CC1020S respectively.

Other early Great Wall models includes a BJ212-based crew cab pickup (also called CC1020S), a BJ212-based station wagon, the CC6490, a small sedan known as the Hawk CC6470 and a clone of the Rolls-Royce Silver Spur.

[6] In 1998, the local government privatized the company, forming Great Wall Motor Group Co. Ltd., with Wei Jianjun owning 25% of the shares.

[17] On 28 September 2011, GWM went public again, this time on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, merging the equity portfolios of the Wei family and Nandayuan Township into a single investment fund.

[18] In the midst of producing numerous copycat vehicles, GWM introduced the Haval H6 at the 2010 Guangzhou Auto Show, which was notable for not being a direct copy of other carmaker's model.

The crossover SUV quickly became GWM's major success, catering to the growing Chinese middle-class family market with its spacious interior and above-average build quality.

[17] In 2018, GWM signed a joint venture agreement with BMW, establishing Spotlight Automotive to produce electric Mini in China for the global market.

[43] In November 2020, GWM announced the completion of its Taizhou plant in Jiangsu, with the Ora Good Cat rolling off the assembly line as its first product.

[46] Part of an effort to increase R&D investment,[47] the center may become fully operational in 2013 as GWM said it would obtain "world-leading R&D... and technical ability" by that year.

[48] In January 2016, GWM has announced the creation of a R&D center in Yokohama, Japan as part of a strategy to enter the Japanese auto market.

Since its early years of exporting vehicles, GWM also uses third-party factories in overseas markets to produce models from knock-down kits.

On 18 August 2021, the company announced the start of operations in Brazil with the acquisition of a former Mercedes-Benz plant in the city Iracemápolis, São Paulo.

According to news reports in 2022, GWM will offer 10 models in Brazil, most will be hybrid electric SUVs and pickup trucks, with a planned investment of R$10 billion.

[59][60] In 2021, GWM opened a new European base in Munich[61][62] in order to launch the Ora Good Cat EV in France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom.

[67] Together with the Bulgarian company Litex Motors, Great Wall has a production base in Bahovitsa,[68] near the town of Lovech, Bulgaria, that became operational in February 2012.

[75] In the first nine months of 2023, GWM saw a fourfold increase in sales in the Russian market, selling over 84,500 vehicles across its three brands: Great Wall pickups, Haval crossovers, and Tank SUVs.

Approximately 40% of GWM's total unit sales in the Russian market were imports, while the remaining 60% consisted of vehicles assembled locally in Tula.

[76] Because of company's continued business with Russia amid Russian invasion of Ukraine, GWM is listed among International Sponsors of War by Ukrainian National Agency on Corruption Prevention.

[77] In 2020, GWM announced its plans to acquire the General Motors India manufacturing facility in Talegaon, Maharashtra, with an intent to launch sales in 2021.

The exit was attributed to several factors, including the failure to obtain Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) approval from the Indian government and the inability to secure clearance to acquire a former General Motors India plant in Talegaon, Maharashtra.

[73] On February 17, 2020, General Motors announced it would exit from the Thai market and sell its Rayong plant to GWM by the end of the year.

[91] In October 2023, GWM announced plans to produce eight electric vehicle models at its Rayong plant in Thailand, starting in the first quarter of 2024.

[94] Great Wall Motor Sales Malaysia was set up in 2022 in Kuala Lumpur, with the company having a warehouse in the Klang Valley and plans to partner with Go Auto Group for localized CKD assembly of its models.

[103] In the early 2010s, GWM began differentiating its SUV, passenger car, and pick-up truck offerings under the names Haval, Voleex, and Wingle, respectively.

[104][105] By 2020, GWM ceased selling passenger cars under the Great Wall brand in certain international markets, with all SUVs now carrying the Haval name.

[114] In November 2019, GWM and BMW Group established a joint venture to develop and produce Mini-branded battery electric vehicles in China.