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Haval

Automotive ManufacturingFounded 2013
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Founders

Who Founded Haval?

Wei Jianjun (Jack Wey) · Founded 2013 · HQ today: Baoding, Hebei, China

Who founded Haval?

Haval was founded by Wei Jianjun (Jack Wey) in 2013. It is now led by Wei Jianjun.

Founders
Wei Jianjun (Jack Wey)
Founded
2013
Headquarters
Baoding, Hebei, China
Number of founders
1
Current CEO
Wei Jianjun (since 1990)
Where was Haval founded?
Haval was founded in Baoding, China in 2013.
When was Haval founded?
Haval was founded in 2013.
Who started Haval?
Haval was founded by Wei Jianjun (Jack Wey).
How old is Haval?
Haval is 13 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

Great Wall Motor began as a small vehicle maker in Baoding in 1984 and grew on pickup trucks under Wei Jianjun, who took over in 1990. Its early SUVs, the Safe and the Hover (later Haval H3/H5), sold well in the 2000s. After the H6 launched in 2011, GWM decided its SUVs needed their own identity and made Haval an independent brand in March 2013 with separate branding and dealers.

Wei Jianjun (Jack Wey)

Background

Wei Jianjun took over a struggling Baoding vehicle factory in 1990 and spent the next two decades building it into China's leading pickup maker, which gave him the manufacturing base used to launch Haval.

Role at Haval

Wei Jianjun (Jack Wey), born in 1964, became head of Great Wall Motor in 1990 at age 26. He shifted the company toward pickups and SUVs instead of sedans, took it public in Hong Kong in 2003 and in Shanghai in 2011, and made Haval a standalone SUV brand in 2013. He remains GWM's chairman and controlling shareholder and is one of China's richest auto executives.

Haval: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Mu Feng

President and CEO, Great Wall Motor

2022 – Present

Mu Feng runs GWM's day-to-day operations across Haval, WEY, Tank, ORA and the pickup brand, with a focus on new-energy models and global production.

Wang Fengying

President, Great Wall Motor

2002 – 2016

Serving as the highly influential President and CEO of Great Wall Motor for nearly two decades, she built Haval into the absolute best-selling SUV brand in China before leaving to join Xpeng in 2023.

Wei Jianjun

Chairman, Great Wall Motor

1990 – Present

Wei Jianjun has led GWM since 1990 and is its controlling shareholder. He decided to separate Haval from the Great Wall brand in 2013 and still sets group strategy.

Compare Haval Leadership With Competitors

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Keep researching Haval

Who Founded Haval? FAQ

What are the historic origins of Haval within Great Wall Motor?

Haval originated as Great Wall Motor's SUV product line (originally the Great Wall Safe and Great Wall Hover / H-series) launched in the early 2000s in Baoding, Hebei, China. In March 2013, following million-unit sales success, GWM officially established Haval as an independent brand with its own red and blue corporate logo.

How did the 2002 Great Wall Safe launch spark China's affordable SUV boom?

In 2002, GWM launched the Great Wall Safe SUV priced around RMB 80,000 (a fraction of the price of imported Japanese SUVs). The Safe became an instant commercial hit among Chinese entrepreneurs and families, proving the large untapped demand for affordable domestic SUVs.

What role did the 2005 Great Wall Hover (Haval H3) play in international exports?

Launched in 2005, the Great Wall Hover (later Haval H3) was the first Chinese-built SUV to achieve European crash safety homologation, becoming the first Chinese SUV exported in volume to Europe (Italy) and competing in the grueling Dakar Rally.

Why did Great Wall Motor create the dedicated Haval brand in March 2013?

GWM established Haval as an independent brand in March 2013 to elevate brand equity, focus exclusively on SUV innovation, establish dedicated premium dealership showrooms, and signal to global consumers that Haval was a specialized SUV authority.

Where does the name 'Haval' originate and what is its symbolic meaning?

The name 'Haval' translates phonetically in Chinese to 'Have All' (哈弗 / Hāfú), symbolizing the brand's founding promise that drivers can 'have all' the freedom, luxury, safety, and versatility of a premium SUV without an exorbitant price tag.

How did early Dakar Rally motorsport campaigns build Haval's global rugged reputation?

Great Wall and Haval entered the Dakar Rally in the early 2010s to show off the durability of their SUVs and build an off-road image.

What foundational values were established during Haval's founding in Baoding?

The founding team established core values centered on SUV specialization, uncompromising crash safety, practical family utility, and accessible pricing for hardworking families.

How did Haval become the first Chinese SUV brand to reach 5 million global sales?

In 2018, Haval made Chinese automotive history by becoming the first domestic specialist SUV brand to cross 5 million cumulative global vehicle sales, driven by the runaway success of the Haval H6 and expanding international export channels.

Who founded Haval?

Haval was not founded by an individual; it was entirely engineered and launched as a corporate spin-off by Great Wall Motor in 2013. The strategy was highly brilliant: by creating a new badge and separate dealerships, GWM elevated the Haval name from a cheap domestic truck builder to a massive, globally respected SUV brand.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.