By Greg Gao

(JW Insights) May 9 -- Chinese automobile manufacturer Great Wall Motor announced on May 4 that its factory in Iracemapolis, Brazil will begin operations on May 1, 2024, reported Pandaily.

It's likely to be Brazil's first new energy vehicle factory specializing in the production of hybrid and electric vehicles.

Great Wall Motor's Iracemapolis factory is smoothly upgrading according to the company's global smart factory standards. In the first half of this year, modernization and expansion of the production line will be launched. In the future, the plant capacity will increase to 100,000 vehicles per year and create 2,000 employment positions.

The original site of Great Wall Motor's Iracemapolis plant was built in 2016 with an area of 125 hectares. The plant is located in Sao Paulo State, the industrial center of Brazil and has abundant supporting resources, including suppliers such as paint, seats, interior parts, wheels and transmissions within a four-hour logistics circle around it, said the company in its investor relationship management platform of the Shanghai Stock Exchange on March 30.

After acquiring the Iracemapolis plant, Great Wall Motor introduced advanced production quality management and environmental protection information management concepts into it, making it one of the company's global intelligent manufacturing bases covering the Brazilian market as well as other South American countries.

Great Wall Motor plans to deploy GWM and Ora as main brands while introducing Tank, Haval, and Wey for promotion in the Brazilian market. In the next three years, the firm plans to launch ten brand-new energy products, including four pure electric cars and six hybrid cars.

Recently, Great Wall Motor cooperated with dealer partners in Brazil to deliver the first batch of Haval H6 new energy vehicle. In the first half of this year, Great Wall Motor plans to expand its network of dealerships in Brazil to 50, providing more car purchase channels for users, according to the report from Pandaily.