Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor (GWM) will commence production at its Iracemápolis plant in Brazil on August 15, with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and GWM Chairman Wei Jianjun expected to attend the opening ceremony, Brazilian automotive news outlet AutoIndústria reported on Monday.
The first locally assembled model, the Haval H6 SUV, will be unveiled at the event. According to the report, GWM has already activated the factory’s welding and painting lines and hired 530 employees, including 145 administrative staff. The plant, formerly owned by Mercedes-Benz, is expected to begin double-shift operations later this year, employing around 1,000 workers.
Initial production capacity will be 30,000 vehicles annually, increasing to 50,000 units by 2028. Localization will be limited in the first year, but the company plans to raise the local procurement rate to approximately 35% by its second year of operation, Ricardo Bastos, director of institutional affairs at GWM Brazil, told AutoIndústria.
GWM acquired the Iracemápolis facility from Daimler Group in August 2021, following the closure of Mercedes-Benz’s vehicle production operations in Brazil earlier that year. At the time, GWM said the renovated plant could eventually reach a production capacity of 100,000 vehicles annually and create nearly 2,000 local jobs.
GWM becomes the latest Chinese carmaker to enter passenger vehicle production in Brazil, following BYD, which began producing new energy vehicles (NEVs) at its own plant in Camaçari on July 1. BYD’s first model, the Seagull compact EV, is part of a phase-one plan targeting annual production of 150,000 units.
Both companies have seen strong international sales in recent years, although GWM’s overseas growth has moderated in 2025 compared with previous years.