GWM off-road PHEVs Oz-bound

GWM invited GoAuto to drive its 4x4 PHEV range on local soil, ahead of a market introduction that will bolster its rapidly growing range of petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric options – with its first plug-in ute confirmed for the first half of 2025.

The manufacturer brought in a left-hand-drive Cannon Alpha Hi4T and Tank 500 Hi4T, to tease the PHEV models and gain product feedback at Norwell Motorplex in Queensland, before shuttling them back to China.

GWM does already offer conventional hybrid versions of the Tank 500 and Cannon Alpha locally, but this is the first time plug-in versions were driven in Australia – albeit briefly, and not on real roads.

While the Haval H6GT will be the brand’s first PHEV to hit showroom floors, confirmed for Q1 next year, it is the two pre-production off-roaders that pose a risk for the slow-to-move Japanese manufacturers.

Both the Tank 500 and Cannon Alpha PHEVs share the same powertrain, with an impressive electric-only driving range of 110km – eclipsing the electric-only range of popular PHEV models like the Mitsubishi Outlander (84km), Jeep Compass 4xe (47km), Mazda CX-60 (76km) and Kia Sorento GT-Line (68km).

The Hi4T powertrain consists of a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 180kW/380Nm and electric motor producing 120kW/400Nm, for combined outputs of 300kW/750Nm, running through a nine-speed automatic.

They are both as punchy as the numbers suggest, although there is a noticeable delay with quick stabs of the accelerator, as the system decides how much power it wants to send to the tyres.

The Tank 500 gets to 100km/h in 6.9 seconds and does so riding an incredibly smooth wave of torque – the little 2.0-litre never feeling strained. While GWM doesn’t offer an acceleration time for the Cannon Alpha, it feels similar.

A 37.1kWh battery underpins the Hi4T system, which can be charged at up to 50kW to take it from 30 to 80 per cent charge in around an hour. GWM opted for a ternary lithium battery type, which it says offers better performance in extreme temperatures. 

Fuel economy is quoted at 2.1 litres per 100km for the Tank 500 and 1.7L/100km for the Cannon Alpha, but we were not able to verify the claims across such a brief drive. Low-charge fuel figures of 8.8L/100km for the Tank 500 and 9.3L/100km for the Cannon Alpha are also quoted.

The Cannon Alpha is the big brother to the smaller Cannon, with both currently available in Australia with diesel or petrol-hybrid power, and the incoming Hi4T PHEV model scores even more off-road focused hardware, but payload suffers.

A coil-sprung rear end for the Cannon Alpha Hi4T puts it ahead of most dual-cab utes – including the regular hybrid Cannon Alpha – but combined with the heavy kerb weight (2775kg) and battery at the rear, payload comes in at just 535kg.

The regular hybrid Cannon Alpha, for context, offers 735kg of payload, which is still down on the one-tonne most dual-cabs offer but it is on par with 1500-class American pick-ups like the Ford F-150 or Ram 1500.

Off-road, which is where we spent the bulk of our time with the Cannon Alpha Hi4T, it felt composed and offered plenty of grip. The electric-only mode appears to revert to regular hybrid power when low-range is engaged, at least it did for us.

The Cannon Alpha Hi4T feels just like the regular hybrid version, but the coil-sprung rear is undoubtedly more compliant, even with a heavy battery tucked above the rear axle. The extra weight was not noticeable.

We were also given the keys to the Tank 500 Hi4T, which is visually like its closed-loop hybrid twin, but it offers more power, better fuel economy and is still likely to undercut popular 4x4 wagon models like the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series.

The Tank 500 Hi4T was similarly impressive off-road, eating up the short test loop with ease.

Worth noting is how proficient the traction control is, both on- and off-road. Paul Morris, ex-racer and owner of Norwell Motorplex, jumped in the Tank 500 PHEV at one point and took us onto his skid pan to see how it performed.

In his words, it outdoes many of the popular wagons and taking turns we could not get it all that unstuck, despite trying (aside from one foray onto the grass). It was less rolly-polly through high-speed corners than other popular 4x4 wagons, too, despite its nearly three-tonne heft.

Journalists in attendance were asked across the day what price they think the models would sell for in the Australian market, which is the sort of probing typical of Chinese manufacturers looking to introduce new models locally.

A reasonable question though – call it market research…

The consensus for the Cannon Alpha Hi4T was that a price of $85,000 or under would offer compelling value, particularly for fleet or trade buyers, but beyond trackside conversations about the possibility of a sub-$90k plug-in hybrid ute, no indication of actual pricing was offered.

For the Tank 500, it looks likely to land at under $100,000, but GWM will have to be careful not to price the PHEV wagon too close to the six-figure mark if it wants to compete with Toyota’s LandCruiser 300.

Speaking with media, GWM head of marketing, Steve Maciver, suggested the price premium for plug-in hybrid models is “anywhere from six grand to fifteen” depending on battery size and range.

“We’ve got a number of options available to us, and there are plug-in battery pack options available to us that could give us up to 160km range, but with that comes cost,” he said.

With that in mind, the Tank 500 Hi4T, which tops out at $73,990, could sneak in well under $100,000 and the Cannon Alpha Hi4T could come in around the $80,000 mark given its standard hybrid twin is available from $64,990.

The Ora Sport was also previewed across the day, in right-hand drive configuration, providing significantly more punch than its single-motor sibling. Despite the model not being confirmed, GWM did suggest that details of a “potential Australian launch” should come before the end of the year.

Beyond a few hot laps on-track, our time with the Ora Sport was limited but it was every bit as pokey as the Smart #1 and #3 Brabus models we drove recently. It is likely to compete more closely with the BYD Seal Performance or MG4 X Power, though.

What we did notice is that despite wearing the ‘Sport’ badge, the dual-motor Ora is sprung for comfort, not all-out performance, making it more of a straight-line hero than a corner carver.

It appears GWM is gunning for the hybrid market, citing sales that puts them behind only Toyota as the second-best seller of hybrid vehicles in Australia last year. While Toyota does not offer any plug-in hybrid options yet, its spot atop the sales ladder is not at risk, achieving more than 100,000 hybrid sales in the 12 months to June 2024.

“At the moment, GWM offers five dedicated hybrid models and one dedicated EV, and some of you might be aware that outside of Toyota, GWM now sells more hybrid vehicles in Australia than any other brand,” added Mr Maciver.

GWM sales across the board are up 21.8 per cent year-to-date, tracking well against the average market increase of 5.3 per cent, and the company says it expects to top 40,000 sales in 2024.

The brand clearly plans to up the ante next year, committing to six new models for the first half of 2025, made up of a Cannon Ute with a larger 2.4-litre diesel engine and a version of the Tank 300 with the same engine, the Haval H6GT and Cannon Alpha Hi4T PHEVs, and the new Haval H6 and H7.

While GWM was tight-lipped about local specifications and pricing for its Tank and Cannon Alpha PHEVs, the company has said it will share more information closer to launch.