China’s 1000kW 4WD to eat Patrol for breakfast: 2026 Geely Battleship 700 4WD confirmed for right-hand drive as it targets Toyota LandCruiser, Land Rover Defender and Ford Everest

China is starting to flex its off-road muscles.

Geely is the latest Chinese brand to launch a rough and tumble four-wheel drive in the form of the Battleship 700.

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There are hallmarks of the Defender, 70 Series and some GWM Tank models in its looks.

Geely, like all Chinese 4WD brands, is betting big on plug-in hybrid power to usurp diesel’s dominance in the heavy off-roader segment.

Geely’s set-up uses three electric motors, but it hasn’t provided full details.

We can look at some of its siblings from Geely's other brands, such as the coming Zeekr 9X.

It uses a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine and three electric motors to make a whopping 1000kW sent to all four wheels, which enables it to sprint from zero to 100km/h in 3.1 seconds.

That’s double the Land Rover Defender Octa Black, which is a beefy off-road monster that pumps out 457kW and 750Nm from its 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 and mild-hybrid assistance.

It also dwarfs the Toyota LandCruiser’s 227kW/700Nm 3.3-litre twin-turbo diesel six-cylinder engine and the coming Nissan Patrol’s 317kW/700Nm 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6.

With that much electric grunt, you need a big battery.

The 9X can be had with either a 55kWh and a 70kWh unit, with electric only driving range of up to 380km via the more lenient China Light-duty Test Cycle (CLTC).

The 9X — like the Battleship 700 — is built on Geely’s 'SEA-S' platform, which uses 900V architecture.

This means it will be incredibly fast to charge, with the 9X claiming a 20-80 per cent refill in 8.5 minutes. 

UK outlet Autoexpress has also confirmed the battleship 700 is planned to land there in 2028.

This puts it clearly on Australia’s radar as it is another right-hand drive market, is closer to China and has a large 4WD buying pool.

The report said it has a wading depth of 800mm, has big ground clearance and the brand is considering expanding its off-road modes.