Passionate Dances, Dazzling Chinese Red, Confident Team Members

The Haval Dakar 2013 Press Conference ended when Zhou Yong - known as the “best Chinese competitor in Dakar”- received the “Team of China” flag from a leader of the PRC'S Federation of Automobile Sports (FASC).

On December 12, 2012, Haval Dakar Team showed up at D-Park Beijing House, Beijing 798 Art Zone for a toast at Haval Dakar 2013 Press Conference. This rally was intended to bring attention to the team's fourth venture into Central and South America. All team members were there in order to witness the special moment. The team was also accompanied by FASC’s leaders and over 100 media guests. Zhou proceeded to take a pledge under the solemn flag on behalf of the entire Haval Dakar team. Dong Ming, Vice President of GWM ,and Phillip, Technical Director of Haval Dakar Team, then unveiled the mysterious third-generation Haval Dakar Racecar alongside other members of the team.

The new HAVAL Dakar Racecar undoubtedly caught the eyes of everyone present. Its new coloring extends the classic red of the Haval Dakar team. It truly embodies the passionate fighting spirit of Dakar. Combined with a silver gray pattern, the car features only the best technology and quality. The Chinese and English logos of Haval on the body are even more striking and impressive than they were in previous models.

The third-generation HAVAL Dakar Racecar is based on the Haval SUV platform. "It has ranked among the world's top technical racecars since competing in Dakar 2012, and practice has shown that it is likely to be successful," Phillip said. The new HAVAL Dakar Racecarhas been given all-round improvements in terms of body function and structure optimization. Engine temperature control, elastic suspension calibration, and upgrades to the engine have also been added.

Top Chinese competitor, Zhou Yong, and world class racer, Carlos Sousa - who glorified the HAVAL Dakar Team in 2012 - will dash towards their new goal of bringing glory to Team China in 2013. "As Dakar is a challenging race, I will try to show my challenging spirit while going all out for good results during my fourth competition at Dakar," Zhou said. “HAVAL Dakar Racecar has been much improved from last year, everything is stable, we will do our best - though our main goal is not simply competition results this year,” said Sousa, as he noticed the differences in the racecar.

The press conference not only featured video wishes from GWM’s distributors in Europe and South America, but also attracted more than 150 reporters from home and abroad. Following the press conference, members of HAVAL Dakar team and GWM leaders took some time for interviews.

"GWM will focus on auto technology R & D in order to turn out professional SUV products. Dakar is the best place to test the Haval brand," Dong said. He expressed confidence in the team’s performance at Dakar 2013, saying, "GWM will field two third-generation HAVAL Dakar Racecars, four logistics and rescue trucks, one Haval H5 news van, and one Wingle 5 working vehicle."

According to sources, after making its debut in 2010, and achieving the best results among Chinese teams in 2011 and 2012, HAVAL Dakar team has become the only Chinese team to appear at Dakar 2013. They will continue competing with foreign teams during the race of 35th in order to prove the professional quality and outstanding performance of Haval SUVs. During the race, the Haval will be forced to deal with an extremely harsh environment and a very difficult course.

As the only Chinese automaker to compete in Dakar 2013, GWM ranked eighth among Chinese automakers - and first among Chinese independent brands - in terms of sales during the first ten months of 2012. The Haval’s sales numbers topped the SUV market list and outnumbered the sales of all other SUVs combined. The Haval M4 has now positioned itself as solid mini SUV, and it has fallen short of demand since its launch in May 2012. This model received more than 10,000 unit orders in July, helping it to reach top 10 on the SUV list.