Koma Li

FOUNDING managing director of Haval Motors Australia, Parker Shi, is headed back to China to head up the sales operations of parent company Great Wall Motors’ latest sub-brand, Wey.

He is set to be replaced in Australia by Koma Li, a Great Wall executive with a decade’s experience in export markets such as South Africa and South America.

Wey – a luxury SUV brand sitting above the Haval line-up in the Chinese domestic market – was formally launched at the recent Shanghai motor show where the marque showed off an all-electric SUV concept, the Pi4, based on the first Wey production vehicle, the VV7, that went on sale in a network of 50 dealerships in China last month.

Named after Great Wall Motors founder and chairman Wei Jianjun, Wey has just opened its first Beijing dealership to sell its proposed range of luxury SUVs to go up against the mostly European brands in China.

Although Great Wall has applied for Wey trademark registration in western markets including Australia, the company has no immediate plans to venture beyond Chinese borders with the brand.

When announcing Wey last year, Great Wall also announced the appointment of former Audi executive Jens Steingraeber as head of the Wey division, with former BMW designer and head of Haval design, Pierre Leclercq, taking the reins of Wey design too.

Parker Shi

When Parker Shi returns to China, he will become head of sales, marketing and dealer development, presumably meaning he will report to Mr Steingraeber.

Mr Shi launched Haval in Australia in October 2015 with just four dealerships and a range of three SUVs – the H2, H8 and H9.

Since then, the company has added another 10 Haval dealerships, extending the network to all mainland states, along with an extra model, the H6.

At the same time, it has re-established the Great Wall brand by launching the updated Steed ute last year.

So far this year, the business has sold 186 Haval SUVs and 137 Great Wall utes. Haval says it enjoyed its best sales month in its short history in April, with 45 Haval sales.

Chinese rival LDV – a division of SAIC Motor – has sold 625 of its vans so far in 2017, while Foton has shifted 218 utes.

Mr Parker’s replacement, Koma Li, said Australia was Haval’s first mature market, adding: “I am excited to continue the good work that has been done already by the local team.”

Mr Li oversaw the South African market between 2007 and 2009, before being promoted to take charge of all South East African countries from 2010 to 2012.

He moved to South America in 2012, where he was in charge of the business in Chile, Peru and Colombia. Since 2014 he has headed up the South American, South-East Asian and European markets.

He will be based in Haval’s Australian head office in Melbourne.

By Ron Hammerton

Starting out: Great Wall’s latest sub brand, Wey, was formally launched at the recent Shanghai motor show where it showed the electric Pi4 concept SUV.