GWM secures Lang Lang proving ground residency to drive product localisation

GWM Australia and New Zealand has announced a major milestone in its localisation strategy by securing the permanent residency of the Lang Lang Proving Ground (LLPG) in Victoria. 

This purpose-built facility, which has shaped some of Australia’s most iconic vehicles, will now become the heart of GWM’s mission to deliver more refined and locally tuned vehicles.

This commitment is the culmination of GWM’s efforts to evolve its product offering for the ANZ region, fuelled by continuous feedback from customers, media, and dealer partners. Over the past few years, GWM has steadily taken steps forward, listening closely, learning, and adapting within global parameters.

Earlier in March, GWM announced the appointment of Rob Trubiani, one of Australia’s most respected automotive engineers, to lead the development and localisation of GWM products for the ANZ market. 

He brings more than 25 years of experience developing and testing vehicles for Australian roads, much of that time spent mastering the proving ground that now forms GWM’s key local engineering base.

Now, with permanent residency at LLPG — and the only OEM to hold such status — GWM is positioned to intensify its local product development. The facility will form the cornerstone of a comprehensive localisation strategy, enabling GWM to engineer dedicated ride and handling packages, undertake full vehicle integration, and execute precision tuning across its growing product portfolio. 

These efforts ensure that GWM vehicles are optimised not just for performance, but for the comfort, confidence, and control that Australian and New Zealand drivers expect.

“With full-time access to Lang Lang now secured, this is far more than symbolic, it’s a statement of intent,” GWM ANZ chief operating officer John Kett. 

“When Rob presented the idea of establishing Lang Lang as our home base for local development, it was met with overwhelming support, both locally and from our global leadership. Rob has been relentless in defining what the true GWM feel should be for our markets, and with the right tools now in place, we’re confident this investment will deliver improved products right here on home soil.”

For Trubiani, returning to Lang Lang is hugely satisfying from both a personal and professional perspective:

“Lang Lang is one of the best in the world,” Trubiani says. “It’s an absolute dream to be back, developing great cars specifically for Australian and New Zealand drivers. I know this track like the back of my hand, having spent a considerable amount of my career here with Holden. 

“The intimate knowledge I have of the road network, combined with understanding the high-performance benchmarks required here, is key to ‘Aussifying’ our vehicles and ensuring what we develop here translates directly to real-world driving. LLPG provides me the ability to push vehicle dynamics to the edge, identifying precisely where we can optimise and improve. 

“We’re not just tweaking cars, we’re transforming them to deliver the confidence, control, and comfort that local drivers deserve,” he says.

GWM can now apply deeper scrutiny and a more rigorous development process under genuine Australian conditions, building vehicles that feel truly at home on local roads. While GWM’s engineering teams — under Trubiani’s leadership — have already been utilising the facility, this residency unlocks even greater opportunities for collaboration, faster iteration, and more ambitious goals.

In the coming months, GWM will showcase the results of  Trubiani’s work across multiple vehicle platforms. Codenamed “AT1”, this program will demonstrate the ride and handling enhancements shaped by feedback from the local market.

In addition, GWM will share further insights into how Trubiani’s expertise is already showing potential to shape future global programs, ensuring that vehicles destined for Australia and New Zealand are developed with local road conditions, driving styles, and customer expectations in mind from the outset.