GWM confirms big ute with V8 hybrid power to battle US pick-up trucks such as 2026 Ford F-150, Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado

GWM is readying a second full-sized ute, and its first that would directly challenge the big US pick-up trucks internationally, as defined by the Ford F-150, Ram 1500, Chevrolet Silverado and Toyota Tundra, with V8 hybrid power and economy.

While North America is the obvious prime target for this as-yet unnamed model, Australia is also part of the mix, with the Chinese brand hoping to offer a high-specification dual-cab ute, perhaps for well-under $100,000, within the next two years or so.

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The top big GWM ute is expected to offer a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) that can reportedly deliver around 735kW of power and over 1200Nm of torque in its highest tune.

And even the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 PHEV alternative puts larger-engined rivals to shame, with an impressive 385kW and about 800Nm mooted.

Plus, the ace up the sleeve is the high-economy/low-emissions benefits of hybrid electrification, differentiating this from the other full-sized pick-up competition.

According to GWM Australia Public Relations Manager, Justin Stefani, the company had intended to break into the North American market with the big ute by about now, until the 2024 US election and the current administration’s war on imports via the implementation of severe tariffs put the whole project on pause for the time being.

“Last year, we were told that the V8 was highly aligned to a future larger pickup truck for our introduction to the US market,” he revealed to the Australian media at last month’s China Auto Show in Beijing.

“That was actually parked due to the fact that Trump came in. That was very clear that they were unsure what was going on with tariffs.”

Whether the new GWM ute flagship would have any connection with the brand’s first full-sized pick-up, the King Kong Cannon, is unclear, as this is mainly a China-only model, down to its 2.0-litre turbo/manual-only powertrains.

However, as the latter was only launched in 2021 and remains in production, there could be quite a lot of similarities and/or carryover parts, especially given how similar their size and dimensions would end up being.

Whatever the case may be, the new full-sized pick-up would be substantially bigger than the existing P500 Cannon Alpha, which – as the larger of the two utes GWM is currently selling in Australia that also includes the P300 Cannon – already has a broader footprint and body than the Ford Ranger and most other medium-sized competition.

To help amortise the vast costs behind bringing the international full-sized pick-up to fruition, it is part of an ongoing project using an all-new separate-chassis architecture that may also underpin the imminent Tank 800 three-row 4WD wagon.

With the US market still up in the air, Australia’s role in supporting the big Chinese pick-up’s road to production is more important than before.

“If that is on table, we would definitely look at potentially an F-150 sized ute,” Stefani said.

“In terms of (GWM) going into the US...that was parked. So, that’s not to say we're not going to ever go to the US market, it's just (we're) trying to get some clarity as to what's going on with tariffs. Once that settles down they will understand (how to proceed).”

Whether the full-sized ute’s dimensions and braked towing capacity exceed those of the big American alternatives, which are roughly around 5.5 metres in length and 4.5 tonnes in capability, are yet to be revealed.

It appears GWM sees a gap in the Australian market, particularly in rural areas, as the original and highly-successful “Eats Utes for Breakfast” Ram 1500 from late last decade was forced to vacate its circa-$80,000 to $90,000 price point after the original DS series gave way to the more-advanced but far-more expensive DT series some three years ago.

Since then, the least-expensive DT 1500 starts from $109,950 (all prices are before on-road costs) for the newly-announced Express Edition.

Then it’s a step up to the $114,950 F-150 XLT SWB, and then a big jump to the $134,500 Silverado 1500 LTZ Premium and MY26 Tundra Limited Hybrid from $155,990.