The GWM cannon Hi4-T The plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute made its in-person debut at this year’s Beijing Motor Show before launching in Australia later this year.
The rival BYD Shark 6 and Ford Ranger PHEV are expected towards the end of the third quarter (July to September) of 2026, giving GWM a second entry into the segment.
The Cannon Hi4-T will slot beneath the existing Cannon Alpha PHEV, which was introduced here last year and is slightly larger than the Shark and Ranger.
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In contrast to the Cannon Alpha PHEV, the spare wheel of the smaller plug-in ute is not mounted upright in the tub. Instead, GWM managed to squeeze it under the vehicle despite the large battery. The total ground clearance is 220 mm.
GWM offers the “Hi4-T” plug-in hybrid powertrain in both the “passenger” and “commercial” versions of the Cannon in China. The latter is a longer wheelbase (3470mm versus 3230mm) pickup body style, which Australia does not receive.
Even the passenger version has a solid axle at the rear, like most small cars in Australia (though unlike the BYD Shark 6, which has an independent setup), as well as part-time four-wheel drive with a mechanical linkage and a limited-slip rear differential – like the diesel-powered Cannon.
GWM says the Cannon Hi4-T borrows its PHEV powertrain from the Tank range of off-road SUVs, but it’s been tuned for a ute application.
The PHEV ute, first revealed in Chinese government documents in February, features a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with 180kW and 380Nm of torque, as well as a 130kW/495Nm front electric motor and a total system output of 310kW and 750Nm.
That’s 10 kW more than the Cannon Alpha PHEV and gives the Hi4-T an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds.
It uses a nine-speed hybrid automatic transmission and a 33.1 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery instead of the 37.1 kWh pack in the Cannon Alpha PHEV.
The electric range in the NEDC is 118 km, which is slightly higher than the 115 km figure for the Cannon Alpha PHEV. The combined range is 1,017 km, slightly less than the 1,060 km range of its bigger brother.
According to GWM, a 30-80 percent battery charge takes 18 minutes using a DC fast charger.
The new PHEV also features Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) capability with a discharge capacity of 6kW, allowing you to power small appliances or power tools.
Braked towing capacity is 3,000kg, according to GWM’s Chinese website, less than the Cannon Alpha PHEV and the flagship Shark 6 Performance (3,500kg) but ahead of other members of the Shark 6 range (2,500kg) – however the Australian division has confirmed a braked towing capacity of 3.5t.
Inside, the cabin doesn’t have as many luxury touches as the Cannon Alpha PHEV, but it’s a step up from the existing Cannon in the Australian market.
There’s a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 15.6-inch touchscreen with GWM’s latest Coffee 3 infotainment operating system and an anchored shortcut bar at the bottom of the screen.
GWM has yet to confirm whether we will be getting these new screens in the Cannon Hi4-T for the Australian market. The current diesel range has a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch touchscreen.
The new PHEV also features Camp Mode and Sentinel Mode, which is said to provide “comprehensive intelligent security monitoring and alarm reminders.”
With the launch of the Cannon HI4-T, GWM will be in the unique position to offer two different plug-in hybrid crew cabs.
The new, smaller model launching this year is also expected to be quite expensive, with the larger Cannon Alpha Hi4-T PHEV currently priced from $54,490. The cheapest Shark 6 ute (without cab/chassis) costs $57,900 before on-road costs, with the Ranger PHEV being even more expensive.
PHEVs recorded the largest percentage growth in 2025 of all fuel types in the Australian new vehicle market increased by 130.9 percent year-on-year to 53,484 units, or around 50 percent of electric vehicle sales (103,270, an increase of 13.1 percent).
A large part of this growth was driven by new brands and models from China, including the BYD Shark 6 (18,073 units) and the Sealion 6 (9,055 units, up 46.1 percent).
Other strong performers included GWM’s own PHEVs Haval H6 (2542) and Cannon Alpha (1371), which are among the four PHEVs the company currently offers in Australia. The others are the Tank 300, which is also offered with gasoline, diesel or hybrid power, and the Tank 500, which is offered as a hybrid.
GWM registered 52,809 new vehicles across all sub-brands in 2025, recording growth of 23.4 percent year-on-year in a stagnating market, placing it in seventh place among the ten best-selling brands. It was also Australia’s third best-selling PHEV brand.
The sixth best-selling brand overall in Australia was Mitsubishi (61,198 units, down 17.9 per cent), meaning GWM could move into the top five if it manages over 60,000 sales this year.
The company said to break said top 5The 75,000 to 80,000 unit mark would have to be cracked, which corresponds to an increase in current unit numbers by 50 percent.
MORE: Explore the GWM Cannon showroom
