GWM’s range of tank off-road SUVs could be expanded to include another model in Australia.
The GWM tank 400 is being considered for an Australian launch but has yet to be determined.
“Locally, we have heard feedback from consumers that they want the car and that is why we are pushing the business model forward,” said Tim Leong, product planning manager at GWM Australia Daily Sparkz.
This could see it join the existing Tank 300 and Tank 500 large off-road SUVs, with the Tank brand’s current flagship – the Tank 700 – also being looked at for a local release.
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The Tank 300 and Tank 400 share the same ladder frame platform, but the latter is 225mm longer and has a 100mm longer wheelbase. The Tank 400 is also 30mm wider, although the Tank 300’s flared wheel arches are missing.
However, like the Tank 300, but not the even larger seven-seater Tank 500, it is only available with two rows of seats.
Aside from being a slightly larger option in showrooms, GWM may also be looking to bring a different powertrain range to Australia, with the Hi4-Z plug-in hybrid powertrain (PHEV) being considered for the Tank 400.
Unlike GWM’s Hi4-T PHEVs, Hi4-Z vehicles – which also consist only of large body-on-frame models – have larger batteries, less obvious focus on off-road capability and more on-road performance.
For example, the Hi4-Z swaps the Hi4-T’s mechanical all-wheel drive for an “intelligent electric all-wheel drive” but retains the rear and optional front locking differentials, as well as a tank turn function and an off-road crawl mode.
The Hi4-Z is upgraded from 37.1 kWh to a 59.05 kWh ternary lithium battery. This increases the maximum DC fast charging power from 103 kW to 163 kW and increases the electric range in the WLTC cycle from 105 to 200 km.
It has an 800 V electrical system and the total range is said to be 1128 km.
The difference in performance is even clearer. While both the Hi4-T and Hi4-Z powertrains combine a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with two electric motors, the system’s total output is 310kW and 750Nm for the former and a whopping 635kW and 1195Nm for the latter.
The Hi4-Z is said to achieve a 0-100km/h acceleration of just 4.3 seconds, compared to 6.8 seconds for the Hi4-T. A three-speed direct hybrid transmission is used.
According to GWM, the Hi4-Z has a peak output power of up to 600kW, with the front motor capable of operating at 215kW at full load and the rear motor at 240kW.
In China, the Tank 400 is also offered with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine producing 180kW/380Nm and a 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel producing 135kW/480Nm.
GWM currently offers the Tank 300 in Australia with petrol, diesel and hybrid powertrains, and a Hi4-T PHEV is in preparation. The Tank 500, on the other hand, will be offered as either a hybrid or Hi4-T PHEV, with the former soon giving way to a new 3.0-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel.
So where will the Tank 400 – and the expected Tank 700 – fit into GWM’s local lineup?
“The Tank brand in China is intended to be off-road and luxury. But from an Australian perspective, we have the ability and flexibility to split that up so that the 400 and 700 can be more luxury focused and the 300 and 500 are still very off-road focused,” Mr Leong explained.
The Tank 400 and Tank 700 have a particularly similar design, although the Tank 400 is older. It was first introduced in 2021 and launched in China in 2023.
Measuring 4,964mm long, 1,970mm wide and 1,905mm high on a 2,850mm wheelbase, the Tank 400 is 76mm longer than the Denza B5 – another large plug-in hybrid off-roader from China – but with the same width and a 50mm longer wheelbase.
GWM sells SUVs under its Haval and Tank sub-brands in Australia, but the plan is for Haval to continue to only offer SUVs with car-like unibody construction in Australia – this excludes the Haval H5 and Haval H9 offered in China.
In contrast, tank models are all off-road SUVs with a body.
The Tank 400’s interior closely resembles that of the updated Tank 300 cabin in China, which we won’t be getting, so there’s another point of local differentiation.
A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is standard, as is a head-up display, a 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system and a digital rearview mirror.
Standard luxury features include power-adjustable, heated, ventilated and massaging front seats, a 5.4-liter refrigerator with heat mode, and three-zone automatic climate control.
Some Tank 400s are also equipped with a 15.6-inch rear entertainment screen that folds out of the roof and replaces the panoramic sunroof, as well as a night vision system.
The suite of active safety and driver assistance technology is powered by cameras, radar and, in some variants, a LiDAR unit.
MORE: Discover the GWM showroom
