Great Wall Motors Confirms Domestic GT3 Racer with In-House 4.0T V8 Debuting at Beijing Auto Show

On April 21, 2025, Wei Jianjun, Chairman of Great Wall Motor, posted a 20-second video on social media announcing, “Super V8—see you at the Beijing Auto Show.” In the clip, dressed in a racing suit and standing on a racetrack, Wei posed in front of a tightly covered, low-slung vehicle displaying unmistakable GT3 race car features: a front splitter, shark gill vents, a large rear wing, and side skirts forming an aerodynamic package. The scene then cut to a shrouded powertrain chassis; as a thunderous V8 engine roar echoed, the cover was blown off by the exhaust blast. The video has been confirmed as authentic internal footage—not a concept render. This announcement follows a series of earlier signals from Wei Jianjun. From March 13 to 15, he attended the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix and held discussions with senior officials from the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). On March 29, he participated in an official China GT test session, personally took to the track, and later engaged in an in-depth conversation with Xie An, founder of Phantom Global Racing, publicly describing the experience as “extremely thrilling.” On April 3, while hosting Yu Donglai, founder of Pangdonglai, during a visit to Great Wall Motor, Wei explicitly revealed the company’s plan to develop a GT3 race car. The upcoming model is highly likely to adopt a mid-engine layout, with design cues closely resembling current GT3 competitors such as the Ferrari 296 GT3 and Lamborghini Huracán GT3. Coupled with Great Wall Motor’s self-developed 4.0T V8 engine unveiled at the 2024 Shanghai Auto Show, the “Super V8” referenced in the video almost certainly refers to this powertrain, which is expected to be deployed in the forthcoming GT3 race car. Great Wall Motor has long excelled in off-road motorsport, consistently claiming championships in events like the Rally of the Silk Road (Huan Ta Rally), China Off-Road Championship, and Dunhuang Endurance Rally. In the 2025 Huan Ta Rally alone, the company swept the top three positions in the production ICE category and also secured the championship in the new energy division. Wei Jianjun himself once competed in a diesel-powered Haval H9, becoming the first automotive executive to race a mass-produced vehicle in a national-level off-road endurance event. Although off-road and circuit racing follow vastly different technical paths—off-road prioritizing ground clearance and reliability, while circuit racing demands advanced aerodynamics, high-speed handling, and thermal management—Great Wall Motor already possesses a solid R&D foundation. The company employs a 23,000-strong engineering team and independently develops and manufactures core components including engines, transmissions, batteries, e-drive systems, and molds. Its portfolio of high-performance powertrains includes the 4.0T V8, 3.0T V6 engines, and 9AT/9HAT transmissions, forming a comprehensive performance architecture. In terms of testing and validation, Great Wall Motor has invested nearly RMB 10 billion to build multiple industry-leading facilities, including the first safety laboratory among Chinese automakers, a comprehensive proving ground, a high-altitude environmental simulation lab, and China’s first aerodynamic-acoustic wind tunnel—capable of supporting race-grade aerodynamic drag and wind noise testing. According to data from a global automotive patent analytics platform, Great Wall Holding Group published 7,992 patents in 2025, a year-over-year increase of 20.2%, ranking first among all automotive groups worldwide. This strategic move into GT3 racing marks Great Wall Motor’s expansion from off-road competition into circuit racing, aiming to accelerate technology development and its transfer to consumer vehicles, reshape its brand image around high-performance luxury, and challenge the longstanding dominance of European and American manufacturers in the traditional high-performance segment.