British Group to Import China's Great Wall Motor Cars Into Europe from 2010

The Chinese maker of original masterpieces such as the Fiat Panda Haval M1, GWPeri, Toyota-Scion Florid and Coolbear, Great Wall Motors, has struck a deal with I.M. Group, a UK-based automotive importer and distributor for Subaru, Isuzu and Daihatsu, to import its vehicles into Europe starting from next year. The British company said that it will initially target the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and from 2011, the Scandinavian region, the UK and Ireland.

"Great Wall Motor Company, one of the few privately-owned Chinese car companies, has copied designed and built all of the European-bound models specifically to meet EU whole-vehicle type approval standards," I.M. Group said in a prepared statement for the press.

"This will ensure that Great Wall models deliver high standards of crash-worthiness, equal to those of modern European and Japanese vehicles."

The UK-based importer said that it will release further details about the launch of the Great Wall brand next year.

The Chinese automaker became known to the Western public a few years ago when it introduced a series of cars that shamelessly copied European and Japanese products including the Fiat Panda and Toyota - Scion cars.

Last year, the Fiat Group sued Great Wall Motors in Europe and China to prevent the company from selling the GWPeri claiming that the mini closely resembled it's Panda model. While the Fiat Group won the legal battle in Europe thus keeping the GWPeri out of the EU, a Chinese court in Hong Kong dismissed Fiat's claims for infringement.

You can get a taste of the numerous production and concept vehicles from Great Wall Motors in our gallery below.