Great Wall Motor (GWM) plans to begin manufacturing the Ora 5 electric SUV in Bulgaria during the first quarter of 2027. The Chinese automaker outlined its European production strategy in late October 2026, identifying a facility near the city of Lovech as the initial production location.
GWM selects a facility near Lovech, Bulgaria
The production programme will be carried out in cooperation with Bulgarian Automotive Industry (BAI) at an existing automotive facility in the Lovech area, including the Bahovitsa site. GWM plans to complete upgrades to the production lines by the end of 2026 to prepare for new-energy vehicle assembly.
The site has a planned annual capacity of 50,000 vehicles. This is the company’s announced production capacity target; it is not a figure for vehicles already manufactured, ordered or delivered.
Ora 5 electric SUV to be the first model
The Ora 5 is scheduled to become the first model assembled under the new programme. The initial plan centres on the battery-electric version of the compact SUV. GWM also has other powertrain configurations in its broader global Ora 5 range, but its initial European manufacturing announcement identifies the electric model as the first programme vehicle.
Industry reporting on the project indicates that production will initially use semi-knocked-down (SKD) assembly, in which vehicle components and assemblies are supplied for final assembly at the facility. GWM has also indicated that some components will be locally sourced from the outset.
Production timetable and planned capacity
| Item | Announced plan |
|---|---|
| Location | Lovech / Bahovitsa, Bulgaria |
| Partner | Bulgarian Automotive Industry |
| First vehicle | GWM Ora 5 battery-electric SUV |
| Line upgrades | Targeted for completion by the end of 2026 |
| Initial production target | First quarter of 2027 |
| Planned annual capacity | 50,000 vehicles |
GWM has not released a confirmed date for the first customer delivery of a Bulgarian-built Ora 5. The schedule could change as equipment installation, validation and the launch programme progress.
Wider expansion in the European car market
GWM chief technology officer Wu Huixiao outlined the company’s European plans at a GWM event in Milan on 27 October 2026, according to reports of the announcement. The automaker intends to introduce at least ten new models and variants to Europe over the following two years.
GWM established a research and development presence in Munich in 2021. It said the European engineering team has worked on validation and adjustments for regional driving requirements, including chassis, steering and powertrain characteristics. The new Bulgarian arrangement is intended to complement the company’s existing sales networks across several European markets.
GWM previously participated in vehicle assembly in Bulgaria during the 2010s, so the announcement represents a new production programme rather than the first occasion on which the manufacturer has been associated with Bulgarian vehicle manufacturing.
European prices and detailed specifications remain unconfirmed
The late-October production announcement did not specify final European-market prices, battery options, certified WLTP driving range or the precise equipment specifications of the Bulgarian-built electric Ora 5. Those figures should not be inferred from specifications used for other markets or different powertrain variants.
For wider regional context, the latest figures on European battery-electric car demand are discussed in our report on EU electric car registrations in the first nine months of 2026.
Sources: CnEVPost, 29 October 2026, reporting GWM’s announcement; MarkLines, 28 October 2026. Featured photograph: GWM Ora 5 EV photographed in Tianjin, China in April 2026, Navigator84 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. The image shows an existing electric model, not production at the planned Bulgarian site.
