GWM is adapting its vehicles for Australian conditions, with engineers focusing on calibrating driver assist technology and developing local suspension tunes, following Kia’s success with the same tactic.
While much of the feedback on its advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) comes from journalists, GWM Australia and New Zealand managing director Charles Zhao emphasised the company’s commitment to this endeavour.
“We are taking this into consideration definitely,” Zhao stated. “We see the difference between Australia and the Asian market. In China, it’s not like this. But here, maybe people are driving more confidently and the road condition is also different. We are going to update the software.”
ADAS features include lane-keep assist and adaptive cruise control. The company noted that the same algorithms and software are used across most of its vehicles, allowing lessons from one vehicle to be applied to others. Updated ADAS tunes are planned for all its vehicles.
“We do really value all the feedback of Australian customers and journalists, and we’re trying to make this local test and local improvement for Australian driving habits to try to improve as fast as possible,” Zhao added.
In addition to ADAS software improvements, GWM engineers in Australia are also examining the suspension tuning of the brand’s vehicles. “Since last year we’ve been doing that. There’s still some work to be done,” Zhao said. “When we launch these new models, you’ll see the difference between the current one, and the one in the future.”
The H6 GT PHEV and the Cannon Alpha PHEV will feature the new tune, reflecting GWM’s ongoing efforts to tailor its vehicles to local conditions.
