New V8 shock! GWM to introduce new eight-cylinder engine that could be used for GWM Tank 500 and Tank 700 as the brand takes aim at Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol in Australia

GWM has revealed a brand new V8 engine at the Shanghai motor show, which it intends to introduce to some high-end models, with an Australian launch seemingly highly likely by 2027.

The newly-developed 4.0-litre V8 engine is said to be GWM's “secret weapon” in the future, given it can comply with increasingly strict emissions laws in Australia and elsewhere, with GWM claiming it has “solved problems overseas companies couldn’t solve” when it comes to higher capacity engines.

Elaborating, the Executive Vice President of the Tank brand, Gu Yukun, explained the new engine benefitted from several “patented new technologies” such as “dual-injection, class-leading thermal efficiency and industry leading software controls".

The engine will launch in some unnamed products, but GWM’s Head of Right Hand Drive markets, James Yang, explained that it was more likely to be aimed at high-end models earmarked for Australia, like a future version of the Tank 500 and potentially the Tank 700, which could top-out the brand’s range down the track.

CarsGuide understands GWM will skip over its current most powerful combustion engine, the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6, which currently powers versions of the Cannon Alpha and Tank 700 in China for the Australian market, because of issues converting V6 models to right-hand drive. 

The V6 system as it exists now does not use the latest and more emissions-friendly version of the brand’s Hi-4T plug-in hybrid system, which could have implications for its overall emissions tally when it comes to complying with the New Vehicle Efficiency Standards (NVES).

While technical details are yet to be released for the new 4.0-litre V8, it is understood the engine will only be paired with one of the brand’s latest plug-in hybrid systems, which is primarily how it will avoid emissions penalties.

Why bother with a V8 at all when a 2.0-litre turbocharged plug-in hybrid has seemingly all the power you would need?

According to GWM this new V8 is particularly important in markets like Australia where off-road and heavy towing is popular, because the additional torque provided by the V8 is better at supplementing the weaker high-load performance of electric motors.

“We have found through our research that when a motor is peaked out, it really heats up the entire system and that’s when the performance lacks.

“And in particular for towing and off-roading situations, it’s not that great when you consider just pure electric mode outputs.

“The high-end capacity of the engine really helps compensate for the shortfall of the [electric motors].”

For those hoping for a purely mechanical V8 experience, GWM confirmed the engine would be hybrid-only.

“To be clear this is not about just a V8, but the electrification of that V8 as well, we’re not just talking a pure V8 we’ve got here,” GWM Australia communications boss Steve Maciver said.

For those hoping for a V8-powered Cannon Alpha ute, Yang said it would require a product the brand is yet to bring to the market.

“For the moment, the V8 could fit into one of our SUVs, but as for utes and pick-ups, it is most likely we will need one which is bigger than what we have currently.”

As for plans to introduce an American-sized ute, Yang said full-size pick-ups were primarily sold in North America so “the whole tariff situation” meant potential plans are “stuck in limbo”.

One thing is for sure though. GWM knows launching a V8 in 2025 when most other brands are downsizing engines or going electric-only will help set it apart.

“It’s another key component which allows GWM to not only grow, but elevate itself above the other Chinese brands by presenting something that no one else is doing,” Yang said.