GWM South Africa secured three honours at the 2026 naamsa Accelerator Awards, powered by WesBank, spanning both the new-energy and passenger categories. The awards were presented during SA Auto Week at the Durban International Convention Centre, the automotive industry’s annual gathering of government, manufacturers and investors.
Recognition across new-energy and passenger categories
HAVAL was named New Energy Achiever of the Year: New Vehicle Sales, while the HAVAL H6 Plug-in Hybrid received the New Energy Vehicle of the Year: Plug-in Hybrid New Vehicle Sales award. The GWM TANK 300 completed the trio of wins by being named Passenger Biggest Achiever of the Year: New Vehicle Sales.
All three awards fall within naamsa’s New Vehicle Sales categories, which recognise brand and model performance in the South African market. For GWM, the recognition reflects growing demand for its new-energy vehicles and continued sales momentum across its broader product portfolio.
“Recognition from naamsa is based on what South Africans are actually buying, so these awards say a lot about the confidence customers have placed in our vehicles,” said Conrad Groenewald, Chief Operating Officer at GWM South Africa. “To see HAVAL and the H6 PHEV recognised in the new-energy categories is especially meaningful, because it shows electrification is something buyers are choosing today. SA Auto Week brought together the people shaping the future of this industry, and being part of that conversation, from the NEV Road Trip to our presence at the exhibition, reflects our long-term commitment to South Africa and to the future of mobility.”
SA Auto Week 2026
The fifth edition of SA Auto Week was held under the theme Transforming Tomorrow Today, bringing together key stakeholders from across South Africa’s automotive industry. Convened by naamsa together with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government, the event brought together government, manufacturers, labour and investors to discuss policy, investment, the energy transition and the long-term competitiveness of South Africa’s automotive sector.
As part of its participation, GWM showcased the ORA 5 in its internal-combustion form alongside the recently launched TANK 500 3.0L, highlighting the breadth of its growing South African portfolio.
The NEV Road Trip
GWM’s participation extended beyond the conference and exhibition through the SA Auto Week NEV Road Trip. The ORA 5 battery-electric vehicle travelled from Cape Town to Durban, while the HAVAL H7 PHEV completed the journey from Johannesburg.
The two routes covered different terrain and distances, demonstrating how battery-electric and plug-in hybrid technologies can support long-distance travel under real South African driving conditions. Together with the vehicles displayed at SA Auto Week, the journey reinforced GWM’s multi-energy approach and its commitment to providing South African customers with powertrain choices suited to their varied mobility needs.
Together, GWM’s three naamsa Accelerator Awards and its participation in SA Auto Week reflect the company’s growing momentum in South Africa. By combining strong market performance with the real-world demonstration of its new-energy technologies, GWM continues to strengthen its multi-energy offering and support the country’s evolving mobility needs.
