One of Chinese car giant GWM's highest-ranking executives has strayed from the teleprompter in a stunning speech celebrating Donald Trump and detailing vibrant – and likely private – conversations with dealers.
A top executive at GWM has unleashed a bizarre monologue in front of Australian media and dealers, calling US President Donald Trump "the one", and declaring that the car maker will "make you rich".
Parker Shi, president of GWM International, appeared to go far off-script at the end of a presentation in Melbourne last week to outline the Chinese firm's future, and recall discussions with dealers in the brand's early days.
After declaring a target of 7 per cent market share in Australia – or about 85,000 sales annually – Shi (below) identified brand image as GWM's next focus, through a rhetorical question unlikely to ever be seen on a teleprompter.
"Who is the most successful man in the world? I said, Donald Trump," he told the audience.
"What are human beings looking for? They're looking for power, looking for money, and they're looking for name, right? Donald Trump is the one. He's the one.
"But what is the business looking for? Brand, volume, profit. Volume, you can replace with market share. Now it's time to look for branding."
Focusing on the dealers in the room, Shi said GWM is working to better establish its name in Australia, and set itself apart from rivals through technology.
"Why am I doing this Tech Day [event]? ... I would like [you] to know we have some things – good things, bad things – for you guys, for the customers, for the branding, for the profit. You follow GWM, GWM make you rich.
"[I'm] not talking a dealer language. I came from the dealers – follow us, we have a good kick. So that's why when you [dealers] make money, you reinvest. When I make money, I reinvest. This is fine. Fair enough, right? I want you to invest.
"Now I said branding is the most important thing because I need GWM in Australia, [when] they [customers] talk about GWM, it's different [to] others, especially Chinese brands.
"We have the history ... We have a lot of stories to share, not like other Chinese brands, [who have been here for] two years [and] they [chased] the volume."
The GWM executive then proceeded to recall a less-than-positive conversation with a South African dealer in the late 2000s.
"The trust is not Parker's mission or my team's mission, it's everybody's. It's our food," he said, referencing the business of selling cars placing 'food on the table' for the brand's employees and dealers.
"I still remember that 15 years ago, I had a conversation with Tony Penfold in South Africa, in Durban. He's a native speaker in English, right? He said, 'Parker, this is s***, I'm not going to buy that.' I said, 'Okay, don't talk s***. It's my food. I don't need that.'
"I said, 'Don't insult somebody's food as an example [of] s***, in your language. Because I'm making money, feeding my family by this s***. You, this s*** will make you rich.'"
"From that day, he never talked about s***. He never talked about the native expression about that."
GWM has grown to become the top-selling Chinese car brand in Australia so far this year, reporting 39,343 new vehicles as delivered to the end of September, for seventh place on the charts.
It has set a target of 7 per cent market share, equivalent to about 85,000 deliveries – which would place it among the Top Five sellers, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Kia and Hyundai.
The firm is due to launch at least seven new models locally next year, from a new, upsized Jolion Max compact SUV to a new prestige sub-brand known as Wey.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
