More brands are committing to Australia-specific engineering tweaks to their vehicles to better succeed on the sales charts locally.
Kia has had a local ride and handling program for years, JAC has been testing its Hunter PHEV ute in Australia, and the new Nissan Navara features dampers designed, engineered and built here too.
For GWM, Australia’s most popular Chinese car brand by sales volume last year, it is going a step further after taking up permanent residency at the Lang Lang proving grounds formerly owned by Holden in 2025.
This was followed by the appointment of former Holden engineer Rob Trubiani as its head of Australian engineering, with the industry expert tasked with using his former workplace to better improve a new breed of cars.
In what GWM is calling its AT-1 (pronounced “At One”) philosophy, Trubiani’s tuning – which extends from suspension setup to advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) calibration – is now being rolled out into Australian showrooms, first in the Haval H6.
Current ‘AT-1’ specification H6s already in showrooms include the pure petrol H6, plus the front-wheel drive hybrid and plug-in hybrid (PHEV). All-wheel drive hybrids and PHEVs will follow shortly, according to the brand.
GWM says Trubiani and his team went through “approximately 24 front damper tunes and 40 rear damper tunes to establish an ideal balance of ride and handling across each variant”, while also tweaking the power steering calibration across thousands of data points.
“The objective of the AT-1 philosophy is to create a more unified and intuitive driving experience, specifically tuned for Australian conditions,” Trubiani said.
“The result is a more cohesive and assured character, with improvements evident across everyday driving scenarios.
“From enhanced ride compliance on uneven surfaces to more precise and consistent system responses, every element has been refined to contribute to a more resolved and capable vehicle.”
GWM’s Australian chief operating officer John Kett added, “AT-1 reflects the investment GWM has made in our ANZ team and the support we receive from our Head Office”.
“With Rob joining the GWM family, we are leading the way, adjusting vehicles on real roads and taking those insights back to China to shape the next generation of products.
“Our Chinese management is listening and engaged; they want us to push the envelope. We want GWM ANZ to be recognised not just as a support centre, but as a hub of engineering innovation that influences the brand globally.”
In 2025, GWM delivered 52,809 vehicles, earning it sixth spot on the best-sellers list after a 23.4 per cent year-on-year gain. Year-to-date its deliveries are up 28 per cent on the same period last year with 9198 vehicles shipped, though it’s been overtaken by BYD as the most popular Chinese brand.
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