Leaked details have revealed a diesel GWM Tank 300 will reach Australia, while PHEV versions of the Tank 500 and Cannon Alpha are also listed.
The GWM Tank 300 off-road SUV will soon offer a diesel option in Australia, while plug-in hybrid versions of the Tank 500 seven-seater and Cannon Alpha ute are also expected.
According to leaked details posted to the GWM Tank 300 Owners Australia Facebook group reportedly from an internal announcement, the Tank 300 diesel will feature the same 2.4-litre powertrain as the diesel Cannon Alpha ute with 135kW and 480Nm.
This would likely be matched to a nine-speed torque-converter automatic transmission.
It is unclear if the Tank 300 diesel will be an addition to the current turbo-petrol and petrol-electric hybrid options or if it will replace one of these powertrains locally, with both current versions above the ‘headline’ emissions target of 141g/km stipulated by the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) due to commence from 1 July 2025.
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The ladder-frame GWM Tank 300 is considered a “light off-road” passenger vehicle under the Standard as it is unable to tow three tonnes or more, making it ineligible for a higher CO2 cap applied to “heavy off-road passenger vehicles” like the Ford Everest, Toyota LandCruiser Prado, and Isuzu MU-X.
Diesel is not common in passenger vehicles in China, but nearly all of the GWM Tank 300’s key rivals use the fuel type in Australia, including the Mahindra Scorpio, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, Isuzu MU-X, Ford Everest, SsangYong Rexton, and Toyota Fortuner. The Jeep Wrangler is one of the few to be also petrol-only.
Meanwhile, the leaked presentation states the GWM Tank 500 and GWM Cannon Alpha – which are heavily related – will receive the brand’s 2.0-litre ‘Hi4T’ turbo-petrol plug-in hybrid (PHEV) system, which was announced in its latest iteration at the Beijing motor show in April 2024.
MORE: 2024 GWM Tank 500 price and specs: Hybrid power for Toyota Prado rival in Australia
In China, the Hi4T system pairs a 180kW/380Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol with a 120kW/400Nm electric motor for a 300kW and 750Nm total system output, matched to a nine-speed automatic transmission.
The Tank 500 PHEV is rated with a 110-kilometre electric-only driving range under the less stringent China Light-Vehicle Test Cycle, while GWM lists an 1400-kilometre combined range for the Cannon Alpha PHEV (sold in China as the Shanhai Cannon).
Local timing for the GWM Tank 300 diesel, along with the GWM Tank 500 and GWM Cannon Alpha plug-in hybrids, is currently unclear. However, it is likely the new models will appear in the next six to 12 months, if not sooner.
MORE: 2024 GWM Cannon Alpha price and specs: First full hybrid ute in Australia
According to the leak, the Tank 500 PHEV will offer a 3.0-tonne braked towing capacity in Australia – matching the current Tank 500 HEV – while the Cannon Alpha PHEV will be rated at 2.5 tonnes, down from 3.5 tonnes for the current diesel and HEV models.
Other new GWM models in the pipeline for Australia include a facelifted version of the GWM Ute with the 2.4-litre turbo-diesel – which could enable a 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity to match the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Isuzu D-Max and Mitsubishi Triton – and a new-generation GWM Haval H6 expected to be available as a PHEV.
GWM Australia is also evaluating the Ora Sport electric sedan – a rival to the Tesla Model 3, Polestar 2, and Hyundai Ioniq 6 – the Haval H5 and Haval H9 four-wheel-drives, and the Tank 700 off-roader with a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 plug-in hybrid system.
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