Great Wall Motor (GWM), the Chinese carmaker, has appointed Steffen Cost, a seasoned automotive executive, to its European management team. Cost, 56 years old, has taken on the role of Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at GWM’s European headquarters since June 1st.
Having previously held high-ranking positions at Renault, Nissan, and Kia, Cost most recently served as Vice President of Operations at Kia Europe. In his new position as COO at Great Wall Motor, Cost will report directly to Henry Meng, the President of GWM Europe.
Great Wall Motor currently offers the BEV compact model Ora Funky Cat and the PHEV SUV Wey Coffee 01 in the European market. The company also has plans to establish production facilities on the continent. While Germany is being considered as a potential location, Eastern European countries are also being evaluated. The decision to either build a new factory or acquire an existing plant is yet to be determined. GWM has received multiple offers for plants where current manufacturers intend to cease production, as confirmed by Meng in an interview with Automobilwoche.
As of the end of April, 268 Great Wall vehicles have been newly registered in Germany. Meng emphasized that GWM, as a private company, operates without the pressure of government expectations. Consequently, they adopt a pragmatic approach and have not set specific sales targets for the initial phase.
Regarding Cost’s appointment, Meng expressed his satisfaction, stating, “We are delighted to welcome an experienced automotive executive like Steffen Cost to GWM. With our expansion into additional European markets, we are fortunate to leverage Cost’s expertise and knowledge.” Cost’s new position will be supported by a German-Chinese management team consisting of Vice Presidents Yao Fei and Phil Li, Sales Director Jƶrg Breuer, and Marketing & Product Management Director Thiemo Jahnke.
Cost himself expressed his enthusiasm for the new role, stating in a press release, “GWM is an extremely promising new player in Europe, with a wealth of innovation and compelling product quality. I am eagerly anticipating this new challenge.”
