GWM confirms new Tank 800 for Australia to rival the 2026 Toyota LandCruiser and Denza B8

GWM has revealed its upcoming Tank 800 full-sized SUV flagship has been given the green light for Australia – and it’s going to be here sooner than anybody expected.

To be released before the end of June next year, the body-on-frame 4WD wagon will arrive with electrified V8 petrol power options in the higher-end versions, to match considerable off-road capability, giving the Chinese brand flagship a point of difference against the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series and Nissan Y63 Patrol.

It should have a considerable price advantage over its V6 turbo petrol-powered Japanese opponents, starting from around $100,000 if the speculation is to be believed, while equipment and luxury specifications suggest that the 800 will be more-closely aligned with their Lexus LX and not-for-Australia Infiniti QX80 offshoots.

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“The Tank 800 has just been approved for Australia for the second quarter of next year,” according to GWM Australia Public Relations Manager, Justin Stefani. “(GWM Australia Chief Operating Officer, John Kett) and I were just told this morning.”

Previewed all the way back in 2021 as a concept vehicle, the production 800 will debut in China soon. The “cheaper” versions are likely to have seven seats, while the more-opulent models will have a 2+2+2 arrangement boasting ‘captain’s chairs’ with ottomans, massaging seats and other trinkets, as per the brand’s (unrelated) Wey V9X full-sized luxury SUV.

In keeping with the Tank’s branding, the 800 will deploy GWM’s new separate-chassis platform architecture, that is also expected to eventually underpin a full-sized ute (think Ford F-150). That was mooted for release in the North American market (where the Chinese brands are yet to conquer), though that has been indefinitely delayed (but not cancelled, we understand) due to the current US administration’s tariffs.

As revealed back in January, the Tank’s engine in question will be a 403kW 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo petrol unit that, when mated to at least two electric motors and driving all four wheels via a dedicated hybrid transmission, bumps that power output up to 735kW.

GWM Tank 800 prototype

2021 GWM Tank 800 Concept

GWM Chief Technology Officer Nicole Wu, told the Australian media at the recent China Auto Show in Beijing that it will be made available in series-parallel hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle configurations, giving consumers unprecedented power as well as fuel economy.

Less-expensive versions are expected to use variations of GWM’s 3.0-litre turbo petrol Hi4-T PHEV engines, which – in the smaller Tank 700 – delivers a handy 385kW and 800Nm.

More information about the upcoming 800 will be divulged shortly.