GWM's flat-eight cruiser is going global, but Australia misses out
GWM's motorcycle brand SOUO has Europe, South America, and the Middle East in its sights, but there are no plans for Australia just yetChinese automotive giant Great Wall Motor (GWM) says its motorcycle sub-brand is not headed for Australia anytime soon, but it hasn’t ruled out the possibility entirely.
GWM launched its two-wheel SOUO (also known as Soul) brand in 2024 with a flat-eight-powered Honda Goldwing rival called the S2000. A cruiser version based on the same platform followed, hitting the Chinese market last October.
Now the Baoding-based company is looking abroad, with EU certifications all but clearing the way for a European launch. According to a press release, the brand also has “South America, the Middle East, and other countries” in its sights.
However, a spokesperson for GWM Australia told bikesales it would need to “consider several factors” before introducing the brand locally.
Those factors include whether the bikes would be sold through existing GWM dealerships or whether SOUO would require standalone showrooms.
“While the opportunity to introduce a motorcycle brand such as SOUO would be an exciting addition to the GWM brand, at the moment we’re focused solely on automotive vehicles,” the spokesperson said.
“That’s not to say in the future we wouldn’t consider the addition alongside our vehicle operations.”
SOUO boss Zhao Shengguang suggested at last year’s Auto China show that more models were in development, including a “new platform” with a displacement “around 1000 to 1300cc”. While GWM hinted at the time that smaller capacities would be more suitable for Australia, the brand’s local spokesperson could not provide an update.
GWM’s first SOUO motorcycle, the 450kg S2000, debuted in 2024 with a 1999cc horizontally opposed eight-cylinder engine, making it the only production motorcycle platform with that configuration.
Producing 151hp and 190Nm, the luxury touring model was created as a natural rival to the iconic Honda Goldwing. It features a 26-litre fuel tank, an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT), Brembo brakes, and a wide suite of tech including Apple CarPlay.
The cruiser version – dubbed the S2000CL – debuted in 2025 with the same engine and chassis platform, but a stripped-back, bagger-style design.
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