The Great Wall Motor Company Limited held a news conference on its products targeted for EU market at the Diaoyutai Hotel in Beijing on 8 September 2009. At the conference, officials from the VCA (Vehicle Certification Agency) of the United Kingdom awarded Great Wall Motor Company Limited with an EU Accreditation Certificate for four of its models: Florid, Coolbear, Hover 5, and Wingle 4. This is another milestone in Great Wall Motor’s advancement in European Market.

The press conference was attended by Mr. Andy Grimm, head of VCA’s overseas operations, and Mr. Fu Peizhao, Deputy Secretary-General of the Auto Division of China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products. Over 100 media from home and abroad covered the event.

Mr. Fu Peizhao gave a brief analysis on the export of China’s automobiles and positive comments on Great Wall Motor’s overseas strategy. He said: “Great Wall Motor has made great contribution in terms of exporting autos, and has done an outstanding job against the background of economic recession. Great Wall Motor’s export volume has been ranked first for seven consecutive months among Chinese car makers, making it a leader in this regard. Through its efforts, Great Wall Motor has been awarded EU certification for its products of all series, thus becoming the first Chinese brand to be officially accredited by the EU. This certificate has established the company as a role model for other auto makers seeking expansion in the EU market.”

Certification under stringent EU standards has become a barrier for many Chinese car makers

The complicated and strict certification, conducted by UK’s VCA, lasted for a year. The process has proved that both the technology and the quality of products of Great Wall Motor have met UK standards for whole vehicles.

The EU certification consists of 48 testing items, including 13 on active safety, 13 on passive safety, and eight on environmental protection. These tests set high standards for vehicles in terms of emission level, safety and environmental impact.

Among all the EU testing items, the RRR (Re-use Recycle Recovery) certification is seen to be the most difficult one, which controls the environmental impact of the auto. The certificate requires that materials containing heavy metals should not be used, recycling design should be conducted, and a data collecting and monitoring system should be established for all the materials in the supply chain. Therefore, large amount of data, extensive professional knowledge, and complicated computer maintenance is involved in this process. In order to get this RRR certificate, Great Wall Motor established the ELV (End of Life Vehicles) project team, the first of its kind in China. This team coordinates with personnel from many departments, including product design, supply chain management, manufacturing, development of data system for materials, material testing, and management system for laws and regulations. As a result of this effort, a swift communication system was established, ensuring the smooth progress of the RRR certification program. Early in August 2009, four models were awarded EU’s RRR certificate after strict review, thus eliminating the greatest barrier for Great Wall Motor to get the EU certification for whole vehicle.

Whole Vehicle Type Certification, a “challenging examination” for companies

“A few original Chinese auto models have been awarded the EU certificate for whole vehicle, but the sale of these models is still restricted by relevant authorities.” According to Li Junyong, director of overseas certification department, the EU whole vehicle certification conducts stringent inspection in terms of consistency guarantee, quality control system, and ELV (recycling of autos). This certification is not only an examination on the autos, but also a comprehensive test on the production capacity and products management system of the company, which is why it is so difficult to get the certification. In China, few original Chinese brands has met that standard; even for those car makers that are awarded the certificate, their products are still restricted to be sold in certain areas and within certain periods of time. However, Great Wall Motor has passed the “challenging examination”, which means that its products can be sold in EU countries without restriction and that the EU has recognized the company’s comprehensive capacity.

Great Wall Motor’s global strategy: producing “global vision” products that meet the highest standards

“Great Wall’s motors should start from a high benchmark, accepted by all markets, and meet the highest standards; new products of the company should not only meet the latest standards of China, but the highest international standards, so that it can be simultaneously offered to all markets.” That is the fixed developmental strategy of Great Wall Motor. In the design and development phase, all the finished cars and components undergo stringent regular tests and life limit tests, and products that have potential risks will not be sold.

Over the years, Great Wall motor has considered getting international certificates as an important goal, and therefore has laid great emphasis on it. During the process of the internationalization of its brand, the Great Wall Motor has pass many certificates, including the Product Consistency authentication awarded by China Quality Certification Center (CQC) on behalf of German Ministry of Transportation (KBA), the most strict and authoritative certification – the e1 COP, Australia’s ADR certification, GCC certification for the Gulf region, the SABS certification by South Africa, the GOST certification by Russia, as well as other certification on whole vehicle awarded by Italy, Romania, Iran, Chile and Brazil. The European Unions’ WVTA certification of this time is the international certification of the highest standards Great Wall Motor has passed.

The four models approved this time are main models of the brand, accounting for over 30% of overseas sales. The sale of these cars in overseas market is on the rise, and the key markets include Algeria, Italy, Australia, Chile, South Africa and Syria.

Notes:

WVTA-Whole Vehicle Type Approval

WVTA-Whole Vehicle Type Approval, also called the e mark certification, is European Commission’s imperative certification system on whole vehicles and components for EU member states based on EC directive (also called Brussels Directive). Only automobile products that have gained this approval can be sold in EU markets. The issuers of this certificate are the transportation departments of the governments of EU member states, such as Germany transportation administrative commission (KBA). This stringent and complicated certificate, along with the American and Japanese certificates, forms the system of the three major certificates in world auto industry.

Institution for VCA Approval

VCA is the abbreviation of the Vehicle Certification Agency of the UK. It is a world renowned certification institution that combines the functions of legitimate certification and technological services. Its certificates are accepted in EU member states and in countries that recognize EU standards, so they are highly authoritative.