The big one GWM Tank 700the current flagship of the Chinese car brand’s tank off-road vehicle series is getting even bigger.
Spied on by Daily Sparkz In Baoding, China, where GWM is headquartered, this Tank 700 prototype has a slightly longer body than the normal large SUV.
It is understood that this route is designed to accommodate a third row of seats, something the existing Tank 700 does not offer.
With Daily Sparkz you can save thousands on a new car. Click Here to get a great deal.
Felipe Muñoz was able to get a better look at one of the prototypes, revealing the more conventionally shaped rear side windows. Overall, there also appears to be a slightly longer rear overhang, although we’d also expect the wheelbase to be lengthened.
The five-seater Tank 700 is 5,105 mm long, 2,061 mm wide and 1,985 mm high with a wheelbase of 3,000 mm, making it larger in all dimensions than the Toyota LandCruiser, which is up to 5,015 mm long, 2,000 mm wide and 1,950 mm high with a wheelbase of 2,850 mm.
Given that the current Tank 700 is designed to accommodate GWM’s new V8 petrol engine for small cars and SUVs, we’d expect this long-wheelbase variant to also offer Bent-Eight performance.
GWM Australia says it is too early to confirm local release plans for the 700 LWB – or whatever it will be called – at this stage. A reveal could come later this year.
The standard Tank 700 itself has yet to be released for Australia, as GWM may be waiting for another facelift or a next-generation model before releasing it here. The vehicle has received a slight facelift, which was unveiled in Beijing this month.
Waiting for a more substantial update would allow GWM Australia to avoid introducing its brand new V8 in an older model.
GWM chairman Jack Wei has confirmed that the Tank 700 will receive the new V8.
“We developed this V8 to meet the needs of more global users in markets such as Australia and New Zealand,” Mr Wei said.
“This is completely the opposite of the current environment or trend in China; it does not fit the Chinese market.”
The Tank 700 is currently offered with a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine with 260kW of power and 560Nm of torque, as well as two plug-in hybrid powertrains: the 385kW/800Nm Hi4-T, which uses the V6, and the less off-road capable 720kW/1375Nm Hi4-Z, which has one 2.0-liter turbo engine uses four.
GWM’s new petrol V8 is brand new and not related to any of its four or six cylinder engines.
It will have a “Hot-V” configuration with two equal-sized turbos between the cylinder heads and a speed of 6000 rpm. The V8 will also support hybrid and plug-in hybrid systems to keep emissions low.
MORE: Discover the GWM showroom
