With its off-road racing division back in full swing, Great Wall Motor has an ambitious international program planned that includes competing in the Dakar Rally and Baja 1000.

GWM raced Dakar from 2010 to 2014 with the Haval H8, but factory support for rally raids stopped after the 2015 Taklimakan Rally. After a decade where the only GWM drivers were privateers or had limited backing from dealers, the company revived the factory racing arm in 2025.

11 drivers raced GWM cars in the 2025 Taklimakan, all in the T2 category for production vehicles. Liang Zhihui won in a Tank 300 Hi4-T, while Li Jianbin was the top T2.1 driver in a Haval H9 Diesel.

With the 2026 race set to kick off on May 16, GWM has drastically built up its arsenal by. Dakar SSV veteran Gerard Farrés, reigning Dakar Challenger winner Pau Navarro, and two-time W2RC T3 champion Nicolás Cavigliasso will all make their Taklimakan debuts for the factory team.

Wei Jianjun, the chairman of GWM, announced the racing roadmap at the GWM Motorsport Culture Day on April 26. The event was held as part of the Beijing Auto Show, and GWM displayed cars that included a plug-in hybrid NASCAR-style EV, a replica of the Havals that previously ran Dakar in the early 2010s, and the new “Great Faith” GT3 system. The company also revealed the Tanks that will run Taklimakan, taking inspiration from the Tank 300, 500, and 700 models.

Although Great Wall vehicles are mainly for T2 competition, Wei stressed the company has the resources and means to build a T1 car too, which is the goal for Dakar. Although the Baja 1000 isn’t a rally raid, that’s on GWM’s list as one of the toughest races in the world and the perfect environment to gauge the team’s capabilities. The Rallye du Maroc, commonly used as a dress rehearsal for Dakar-bound racers, will be on the itinerary as well.

Featured image credit: Great Wall Motor