As it stands, China is very well represented in motorsports activity and teams, but not so much in machinery. Lynk & Co. notably fields a TCR touring car, but no Chinese automaker currently builds a contender in the globally ubiquitous GT3 category. That could change soon, as Great Wall Motor recently took the stage at Auto China 2026 in Beijing to share that it’s developing a GT3 challenger called Great Faith that will be powered by an in-house 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 and spawn a production model.
Former McLaren chief engineer Adam Thomson is at the helm and Great Faith could launch as soon as next year, per Sportscar365. This effort will tie into the introduction of a performance subsidiary for GWM, which currently specializes in crossovers, SUVs, and off-road vehicles. One exception is GWM’s Spotlight Automotive joint venture with BMW, which is responsible for producing the new electric Mini Cooper that isn’t sold in North America.
The Chinese auto industry’s efforts to be better represented in international motorsports doesn’t rest merely with Great Wall, however. As Sportscar points out, Chery has a five-year roadmap to debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and BYD has floated an interest in both Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship, with rumors of taking over Alpine’s campaign in the latter series and fielding its very own hypercar. It would suit BYD well, as the creator of the Yangwang U9 that makes just shy of 3,000 horsepower in its top Xtreme spec.
For those who doubted! Great Wall is going for it! 💪 #GT3 https://t.co/YB6Lwkzm4P pic.twitter.com/bWETmSijMU
— Sergio Fonseca (@SergioFonseca8) April 26, 2026
Should Great Faith see the grid, it’ll see young competition from Toyota and its classically-proportioned GR GT3—which will also use a 4.0-liter V8—as well as stalwarts like the Porsche 911 GT3 R and Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo. If GWM is gunning to represent China’s very own answer to these cars, it’ll have to prove itself on the track.
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