SHANDONG, CHINA
With China’s nascent pickup market in a slump because of weaker construction and real estate activity, exports have become a bright spot. Enter: Feel The Poer! Pronounced “power,” POER stands for powerful, off-road, enjoyable, and reliable. The Poer-badged pickup is produced by Great Wall Motor Co., China’s largest pickup maker. With exclusive features like adaptive cruise control, wireless phone charging, panoramic sunroof, and 360-degree parking cameras, POER is a new next-generation pickup created for the world to enjoy. The POER has a 2.0L turbo-charged petrol engine paired with a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission with TOD all-wheel-drive. Built for an adventurous lifestyle, the POER is a new premium vehicle with the mission of setting new standards in the mid-size pickup segment.
Great Wall Motor Company Limited (GWM) is China’s largest SUV and pickup manufacturer. Since 2004, the company has been listed among China’s “Top 10 Listed Private Companies” and among “China’s 500 Most Valuable Brands”.
Also from GWM is the Wingle pickup, a tough and reliable vehicle. Available in different versions with a single cabin, double cabin, also with petrol or diesel engines, the Wingle also comes in 4 x 2 and 4 x 4 versions. GWM exports its Wingle pickups to more than 120 countries. Swaidan Trading, part of Al Naboodah Group Enterprises, is the exclusive distributor for Wingle and been in partnership with Great Wall Motor Company Limited (GWM) since 2001.
VATICAN CITY
The Vatican signed an agreement with Volkswagen Group to replace the city-state’s entire car fleet with full-electric vehicles by 2030. From the beginning of 2024, the automaker will deliver about 40 EV models from its ID family, ranging from the ID3 to the ID4 and ID5, VW said. The governor’s office of the world’s smallest state gave no financial details of the deal in a statement but said would involve medium- and long-term leasing of VW and Skoda cars. It said the “partnership accord” with the VW Group was one of the ways the 108-acre sovereign city-state aims to reach a long-term goal of becoming carbon neutral and relying exclusively on renewable energy. The statement said the Vatican would build a network of electric charging stations inside its walls and at its properties in Rome. Francis, 86, has made protection of the environment a hallmark of his papacy and often has called for a transition away from fossil fuels.
