(Yicai Global) Feb. 1 -- Chen Siying, former deputy general manager of auto sales at Chinese-Swedish car brand Lynk, has been appointed chief executive of Wey, the sport utility vehicle marque of Great Wall Motor.

Chen, who has more than 20 years of auto industry experience, was made GM of brand marketing at Great Wall Motor’s sport utility vehicle brand Tank in addition to the CEO role at Wey, the Baoding-based carmaker announced on Jan. 30.

Chen also has been an executive in the marketing departments of Nanjing-Fiat, a joint venture of Nanjing Auto and Italy’s Fiat, and the passenger vehicle sales units of SAIC Motor, BAIC Motor, and BAIC Motor Sales.

Great Wall Motor set up Wey, named after Chairman Wei Jianjun, in 2016, with Geely Holding Group debuting its high-end sub-brand Lynk around the same time. 

Early on Wey’s sales were unprecedented for an independent auto brand, with those of its compact crossover utility vehicle VV5 and mid-size luxury crossover SUV VV7 close to those of first-tier joint-ventures, including those of Volkswagen, Honda, and Toyota. But since the start of 2019, Wey’s sales have slumped, falling to about 36,000 last year from a peak of 140,000 in 2018.

Lynk’s development path was smoother. It sold 120,000 cars in 2018 prior to Chen joining the company, and 220,500 units in 2021.

The high-end pivot of independent brands will see protracted warfare, according to Great Wall Motor’s Wei. Wey needs to be reshaped so it can adapt to the new era of smart electric vehicles, and GWM’s senior executives need to be patient, he added. 

Wey plans to expand into four product categories: urban SUVs, multi-purpose vehicles, vintage car models, and sedans. It will also launch the Lanshan DHT-PHEV, or dedicated hybrid transmission plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, and a new MPV this year.

Editors: Shi Yi, Martin Kadiev