Asian Tech Press (Oct 12) -- In response to recent rumors that Chinese auto manufacturer Great Wall Motor (GWM) may acquire Nissan's factory in Barcelona, Spain, a GWM insider said that he cannot rule out the possibility that the company will acquire relevant factories in Western Europe.

The source also said that globalization is an important direction for GWM's business development. At present, its factories in Russia and Thailand have been put into operation and are profitable, and plants in Brazil and India are also in the process of acquisition.

And Japan's third-largest automaker Nissan Motor Co Ltd also has relevant news out. Its Spanish branch previously announced that it decided to enter into preferential negotiation with China's GWM on the project of plant acquisition.

Up to now, GWM has completed the acquisition of General Motors' factories in India and Thailand and Daimler AG's plant in Brazil, and has a total of four full-process vehicle manufacturing plants in Russia, India, Thailand, and Brazil in the overseas market.

But the difference is that all plants that GWM has acquired are located in developing countries, where Haval, GWM Pickup and other low-end brands are mainly imported due to the local economy and market.

The targeted factory is located in Spain, one of the fifth-largest economies in Western Europe, also one of the most representative auto markets in Europe. It means that, for GWM, the plant will focus on the production of its mid- to high-end brand models in the future, providing local production resources for the company's layout in the European market.