Chinese brand’s top five ambitions: GWM's new model rollout strategy revealed including 2026 Haval Jolion Max small SUV, plug-in hybrid Cannon, diesel Cannon Alpha, more Ora electric cars and new Denza D9-rivaling MPV!

Chinese giant GWM has its sights set on another bumper year in Australia in 2026, and it has bold plans on how to achieve its next ambitious sales target.

GWM hit a high of 52,809 sales in 2025 landing in seventh place on the overall sales tally, just 400 sales ahead of BYD, but a hefty 8400 units behind sixth-placed Mitsubishi (61,198).

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But GWM Australia and New Zealand Chief Operating Officer John Kett understands how hard it’s been to get to 50,000-plus sales and how much more of a challenge it will be to grow with an eye on the top five.

“So we weren't making any outlandish statements of 100k and our premium brand will be 10k,” he told journalists in Melbourne recently in a not so subtle dig at rival BYD.

“We just want to get to 75. So we set ourselves a target of a ‘six’ in front of our number this year.”

Hitting a figure of 60,000-plus sales could mean unseating Mitsubishi by the end of this year, but it’s going to be a bigger task to get into fifth place, which is currently held by Hyundai (77,208 sales last year).

Kett knows he faces an uphill battle to hit the longer-term 75,000 unit sales target but he said the team has studied its mainstream rivals to see how they got to their positions in the market.

“It's even harder to get to 75 (thousand). We're looking at the Hyundais of the world that built scale and are sort of stuck in the 75k zone and have got aspirations to grow. We're looking at Kia, another… well managed business, trying to get from that 75 to 85, you just can't do it with one product, because it doesn't work.

“We certainly looked at the history of Mitsubishi and Nissan, the things they've done so well. We've looked at the incredible consumer metrics that Mazda has always got.”

Kett outlined improvements to GWM’s aftersales and customer service, with more customer service operators and investigators helping to solve product and quality issues. There’s also a focus on sharpening up the dealer footprint and expanding some spaces.

But growth will largely come from continued strong sales of popular models like the Haval H6 and Tank 300, as well as a laundry list of new and updated product.

GWM has already confirmed a plug-in hybrid version of the Ford Ranger-rivalling Cannon ute is coming this year, while a new 3.0-litre turbo diesel will soon be offered in the larger Cannon Alpha ute and the related Tank 500 large SUV.

A plug-in Tank 300 arrives shortly, and the EV and PHEV compact SUV subbed Haval Jolion Max will also land before the end of the year.

The slow-selling Ora EV range will get a boost with at least two new models landing in 2026, including the Ora 5 crossover. And GWM will finally launch its Wey semi-premium sub brand this year, likely starting with the G9 people mover.

Kett admitted the brand could be doing more to talk about the hybrid and plug-in hybrid models in its line-up, especially in the Cannon ute stable.

“I think with all the hybrids and super hybrids out there, we probably missed an opportunity to talk specifically about our confidence in Hi4-T (plug-in hybrid all-wheel drive powertrain). I mean Cannon Alpha is a ute, right? And we quietly let other brands beat us, and I totally respect that. But I feel like our Hi4-T story both in Cannon and Cannon Alpha will reveal itself as fit for purpose.”

Combined sales of the Cannon and Cannon Alpha in the first two months of the year show GWM is ahead of the Mazda BT-50, Volkswagen Amarok, outgoing Nissan Navara and the LDV T60 for 4x4 pick-up sales.