GWM South Africa has confirmed it plans to launch its Wey luxury brand as a standalone marque towards the middle of 2027. Here’s what we know so far…
- Wey luxury brand coming to SA next year
- Launch expected towards middle of 2027
- Marque offers large crossovers and MPVs
The head of GWM South Africa has confirmed to Cars.co.za that the Chinese automaker plans to introduce its Wey luxury brand to Mzansi as a “standalone” marque towards the middle of 2027.
Conrad Groenewald, Chief Operating Officer of GWM South Africa, made the comments during a wide-ranging interview on the Cars.co.za BizCars podcast ahead of DealerCon 2026. He later also confirmed the news at the 2026 Festival of Motoring at Kyalami.
“We had the [GWM] Group CEO in South Africa at the beginning of this year [2026] to do a market assessment and I think he made the call to say that everything you see in China – that historically used to be left-hand drive and only for domestic-market consumption – is now being opened up for the rest of the world,” Groenewald revealed during the podcast.
“The Wey brand, which is our luxury brand – named after Chairman Wei [Jianjun], the owner of the [GWM] business – that brand will also be launching middle of next year [2027] in South Africa with a full range of products,” Groenewald told us, having earlier confirmed various new Tank models for the local market.
GWM established the Wey brand back in 2016, with an initial focus on the Chinese market. However, the Baoding-based company has since rolled out its luxury division to various international markets, with fellow right-hand-drive nation Australia set to welcome the marque before the end of 2026, too.
Though it’s not yet clear exactly which Wey models are planned for South Africa, the brand offers several large crossovers and MPVs in China. Most appear to feature some sort of electrification, with many furthermore offering 3 rows of seating.
One of the most recently revealed models is the 3-row Wey V9X, which the company bills as its “global flagship”. In China, the standard version is 5 205 mm long with 3 050 mm between its axles, while the long-wheelbase iteration measures a whopping 5 299 mm from front to back, boasting a 3 150 mm wheelbase.
More details as we have them…
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: When will GWM’s Wey luxury brand officially launch in South Africa?
A: GWM South Africa has confirmed plans to launch the Wey luxury brand as a standalone marque towards the middle of 2027.
Q: What types of vehicles does the Wey luxury brand produce?
A: Wey specialises in large luxury crossovers, SUVs and MPVs, many of which feature electrified powertrains (such as plug-in hybrids) and 3-row seating layouts.
Q: What is Wey’s flagship model and what are its dimensions?
A: The brand’s global flagship is the 3-row Wey V9X. In standard form, it measures 5 205 mm in length with a 3 050 mm wheelbase, while the long-wheelbase variant extends to 5 299 mm in length with a 3 150 mm wheelbase.
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