China is coming for Australia's tough-ute market: Ford Ranger Raptor-baiting GWM Cannon Everest is firming for Oz

The toughest Chinese ute to date is firming for Australia, with the Great Wall Cannon Everest firmly in the brand's sights for our market.

While the model is yet to be officially confirmed for Australia, GWM has told CarsGuide it's keeping an eye on the Ford Ranger Raptor and Nissan Navara Warrior rival, with the beefed-up Cannon on the brand's wish list.

"It’s fair to say the Everest Edition of the GWM Ute has been well-received by the local team here in Australia," says GWM Australia & New Zealand marketing and communications chief, Steve Maciver.

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"The enhanced design and 4WD capability would make it an interesting addition to the GWM Ute range.

"Discussions with our Head Office colleagues are already underway but no decision has yet been made as to whether we’ll see it Down Under."

Just revealed at the Chengdu International Auto Show, the GWM Everest seriously ups the Cannon's off-road capability, with the brand working on everything from the chassis to its wading depth and 4WD system.

We'll get to the exterior changes in just a moment, but for now, let's focus on the under-the-skin stuff, because some serious changes have occurred.

For one, the Everest's chassis has been reinforced, allowing the fitment of a 4300kg winch as standard. The auto-selecting 4WD system has been swapped out, too, in favour of a system that allows the driver to manually switch between 2H, 4H and 4L functions.

There's also three locking differentials, a snorkel that increases wading depth to 700mm, what appear to be new blacked-out wheels, and the fitment of a new Off-Road Expert mode, which automatically switches off the driving aids (thinks like sensors and the tractional and stability controls) to give the driver complete control. There's also a new creep mode and a four-wheel U-Turn function.

Elsewhere, the brand's 2.0-litre turbo-diesel (120kW and 400Nm) still provides the momentum, and it's paired with a ZF eight-speed automatic. It still measures some 5410mm in length, 1934mm in height and 1886mm in width, and rides ride on a 3230mm wheelbase. As standard, it will offer approach, departure and ramp breakover angles of 27 degrees, 25 degrees and 21.1 degrees respectively, though those numbers are yet to be updated for the Everest.