A new Chinese powerhouse: GWM to go on new model offensive with plug-in hybrid ute, 4WD and SUVs headed our way as well as a pair of SUVs to target the Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan X-Trail

Car manufacturers are notoriously coy about divulging what might be coming to their showrooms in the future. The expression “We don’t talk about future product” is the one you’ll usually hear when journos ask about next year’s model.

But GWM surprised everybody at the recent launch of the updated Cannon ute, when it went all out with news of what’s coming. And not just for the next few months; for the next year and beyond.

No technical details were forthcoming, but we can tell you what to expect and how long you’ll have to wait to get your hands on GWM’s new product.

According to GWM Australia’s head of marketing, Steve Maciver, the new product will be tech heavy, not just on new models, but also as upgrades to existing platforms.

He admitted that the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which encourages car-makers to sell more fuel-efficient models, was part of the impetus for improved technology and new models. GWM already has five hybrids and one EV on sale in Australia. But he said the new model rush was also part of GWM’s strategy to sell 50,000 cars this year.

So what can you expect in a GWM showroom near you?

The new product for the rest of this year has already kicked off with the facelifted Cannon ute, but extends to a new Haval H6 GT plug-in hybrid (PHEV) this week.

The Tank 300 off-roader will be offered with a diesel driveline with a March launch date, and the Cannon’s big brother, the Cannon Alpha PHEV will hit sometime in the second quarter of the year.

There’s a new Haval H6 also for the second quarter and a new mid-sized Haval H7 SUV based on the Haval Dargo sold in other markets. That makes it a monocoque vehicle rather than a body-on-frame SUV. Expect it in quarter three this year.

Finally for 2025 will be a new Tank 500 PHEV, which will land sometime in quarter four.

Maciver also told Carsguide that we could expect roughly the same flurry of new-car activity for 2026, four of which would be plug-in hybrids.

“There’s additional EV development happening (at GWM) and we’re not leaving EVs off the radar. But adding PHEVs is the focus right now, and we’re continuing to invest in internal combustion. We’re democratising technology,” he said.