GWM to build Ora 5 electric SUV in Bulgaria from early 2027 under BAI partnership

Bulgarian assembly confirmed for the Ora 5

Great Wall Motor has announced that European production of the all-electric Ora 5 compact SUV will begin at Bahovitsa, near Lovech in Bulgaria, from January 2027, under an agreement with Bulgarian Automotive Industry (BAI). Automotive news service MarkLines reports the announcement was made on October 22, 2026, and that the plant will carry out serial production for European markets. Italian news agency ANSA, reporting from GWM's Tech Day in Milan, puts the start in the first quarter of 2027 with planned capacity of up to 50,000 units per year. ³⁴

The first-year production target for the Ora 5 is 10,000 vehicles, according to Bulgarian business outlet Darik Business Review (dbr.bg), which covered a 15-year anniversary event for the GWM brand in Bulgaria where the plan and the new model were presented. The outlet says GWM is also working on a program for stronger localisation of production, with further models expected to be added to the facility over time. ⁵

Initial assembly will be in semi-knocked-down (SKD) form, with components shipped in and put together locally and a progressive localisation of some parts, as Autotecnica reports. ANSA describes the Bulgarian plant as the first step in a broader project aimed at building an integrated industrial presence in Europe, with possible future developments in vehicle and component production. ³²

A plant with history: GWM's return to Bahovitsa

The Bahovitsa site is not new to GWM. According to Kolesa.ru, GWM built vehicles in Bulgaria between 2012 and 2016 in cooperation with local company Litex Motors at the plant in the village of Bahovitsa, Lovech region, producing budget passenger cars, SUVs and pick-ups. That operation ended after Litex Motors ran into financial difficulty and went bankrupt in 2017; the plant is now owned by Bulgaria Automotive Industry (BAI), which has become GWM's new partner at the same location. ¹

Darik Business Review reports the Bahovitsa Industrial Park complex covers 500,000 square metres and has a design capacity of 50,000 vehicles per year across two shifts, capable of building up to seven models simultaneously under EU quality and production standards. BAI international business director Anton Donchev framed the announcement as a shift from cars sold in Bulgaria to electric cars produced in Bulgaria, calling it a signal of GWM's confidence in local specialists. ⁵

Why local production matters: tariffs and the European market

Local assembly changes the commercial equation for GWM in Europe. As Autotecnica explains, Chinese-built electric vehicles imported into the EU are subject to a 10% standard car import tariff plus, in GWM's case, a 20.7% countervailing duty. Producing inside the European Union reduces exposure to those trade barriers and brings production closer to customers, which Autotecnica identifies as both an industrial choice and a response to the new commercial geography of the European car market. ²

The scale of the challenge is significant. Kolesa.ru, citing Reuters, reports that GWM's European sales fell 30% in 2025 to 3500 vehicles, while the company targets 60,000 European sales in 2027 and, by 2029, European production of 300,000 vehicles per year, which would require a second plant with a location not yet chosen among options including Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. ¹

Which Ora 5 variants will actually be produced in Bulgaria has not been specified, Kolesa.ru reports, and MarkLines notes the partnership combines GWM's automotive technology with BAI's engine-manufacturing expertise. ¹⁴

European product plan and Munich-led development

Alongside the Bulgarian factory announcement, GWM used its Milan Tech Day to set out a wider European strategy. ANSA reports the group plans to introduce at least ten new models or derivatives in Europe over the next two years, spanning thermal, hybrid and electric powertrains. The Ora 5 family is set to expand with new body styles including SUV, two-volume and station wagon layouts, while the broader line-up is to include the P500 pick-up, the Tank 300 off-roader and the WEY G9 people mover. ³

A central role is played by GWM's Munich research and development centre, active since 2021, which ANSA says contributes to product definition from the early design stages. GWM chief technology officer Nicole Wu said at the event: "Localising does not mean adapting products to the market, but embedding the needs of the market in the product's DNA. We don't just want to sell cars in Europe, we want to become part of it." EU product general manager Thomas Schemera said a car that works well in China does not automatically meet every European expectation. ³

Autotecnica adds that GWM claims more than 100,000 km of European road testing for the Ora 5 and H7, alongside thousands of hours of customer-needs analysis covering chassis, steering, powertrains and seats, with European engineers involved in regulatory work, customer requirements and validation from the earliest design phases. The H7 SUV, launched in Europe alongside the announcement, has been calibrated on German autobahns, Italian alpine roads and Austria's Grossglockner, according to the outlet. ²

Ora 5 on the Bulgarian market today

While the electric Ora 5 awaits its Bulgarian production start, the model is already on sale there in combustion and hybrid form, as reported by Darik Business Review from the anniversary event. The petrol Ora 5 uses a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine with 160 hp and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, priced from 25,990 euros, while the Ora 5 HEV pairs the 1.5T engine with 223 hp of maximum system output and a 2-DHT automatic from 28,990 euros. ⁵

Darik Business Review details the crossover at 4471 mm long with a 2720 mm wheelbase and up to 1120 litres of boot space in petrol form, with 14.6-inch multimedia and 10.25-inch digital instrument displays, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, eleven paint colours and a seven-year or 150,000 km warranty. Kolesa.ru notes the Ora 5 debuted in China in 2025 and is sold in dozens of countries, and that in Germany the petrol version starts at 24,990 euros with front-wheel drive, 0-100 km/h in 9.3 seconds and a 190 km/h top speed. In Europe the car is sold under the unified GWM brand, which the company adopted in 2023 in place of its various sub-brands. ⁵¹

BAI commercial director Todor Stoykov presented the model at the anniversary event, where GWM and BAI also highlighted two distinctions: the Ora 5 is described as the first series-produced car to receive a London Design Awards Design of the Year honour, and the hybrid version holds a Guinness World Records mark for lowest fuel consumption of a series-produced hybrid SUV, averaging 3.74 L/100 km over a 3004 km journey across varied terrain in China. These are claims presented by the manufacturer's partner at the event, not independently verified results, and no Australian availability for the Ora 5 has been established by these reports. ⁵