I wouldn’t blame you if you haven’t heard of Great Wall Motor Company (GWM) by now. But you probably have heard about Souo S2000, the monstrous eight-cylinder, two-liter cruiser bike from China. Now it’s reportedly coming to the US.
We covered the radical motorcycle back in 2024 when it first broke out, and safe to say it had a lot of people talking. And when you have a 2-liter boxer eight-cylinder engine on a production motorcycle that’s linked to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, it is bound to.
Now, Autopian reports that a representative from GWM confirmed to the outlet at this year’s CES that the bike is set to make its way Stateside. Now that is big news, considering the company has zero presence in the US so far.
Souo
But it doesn’t sound completely impossible. That’s because GWM already exports to over 170 countries with 1,000 sales channels across the globe. And in case you didn’t know, it ranks among the top 25 automakers worldwide is a big feat, all for a relatively new company that didn’t begin producing automobiles until 1984.
Speaking about the motorcycle itself, the Souo S2000 is the brainchild of GWM chairman Wei Jianjun. Think Honda Gold Wing and BMW K1600 – and multiply the monstrosity in multiples of ten.
Powering the tourer is an eight-cylinder engine in a horizontally opposed setup. It makes 154 horsepower and 140 lb-ft (190 Nm) of torque. Top speed: 130 mph (209 km/h). 0–60 time? 3.7-seconds. But that’s not all that’s noteworthy about it.
For starters, it also gets a 1.8 mph (3 km/h) reverse gear … because who in their right mind would think about backing up a 1,016-lb (460-kg) motorcycle by foot?
Souo
A bolt-free welded aluminum frame serves as the chassis on a three-tier double wishbone front suspension that GWM says is a world first. Braking is taken care of by Brembo 4-piston calipers on both ends, while its 71.3-inch (1811 mm) wheelbase and an incredibly low-for-its-size seat height of 29.1-inch (740 mm) suggest even shorter folks can get on it with ease.
Elsewhere, the motorcycle comes with a huge 12.3-inch instrument panel with OTA updates, heated handlebars, heated seats, and rear parking sensors. You also get an automatic parking brake, ABS, stability control, cruise control, rear warning system, blind spot monitoring, an electrically adjustable windshield, and an eight-speaker sound system to keep you entertained on the road.
When launched, it was revealed that the Souo S2000 would only produce 200 units. 88 of those were Founders Editions that featured carbon fiber parts, 24-karat gold accents, and the chairman’s signature imprinted on the fuel tank. The standard variant, however, was priced around the $29,000 mark.
Souo
As of now, we don’t quite know how GWM intends to bring the motorcycle to the USA, considering the tariffs – but the company representative did mention to Autopian that it should be priced around US$30,000 when it does eventually arrive in the country.
He also revealed that GWM intends to introduce the Souo brand throughout Europe and Australia this year, before going on to South America and, eventually, landing in North America in 2027.
Outside of two-wheels, what’s particularly interesting was what we might spot this and similar monstrous engines from GWM in cars too, as Car And Driver reported. GWM displayed two engines at CES – this very 2.0-liter flat-eight and a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8.
Souo
“We can put this V-8 engine in other vehicles in the future,” summed representative Shenghao Tang at GWM’s stand. “This is not just for motorcycles. It’s for cars.”
Certainly more appropriate than on a bike.
Via: Autopian and CarAnd Driver
