GWM Tank 300 News

GWM has upgraded the Tank 500 yet again.A new Smart Edition is now available in China bringing more advanced safety systems and luxury touches such as an on-board fridge and James Bond-esque thermal imaging, to the full size SUV.The Tank 500 Smart Edition brings GWM’s new advanced driver safety and navigation system Coffee Pilot Ultra, which uses a roof-mounted LiDAR system along with cameras fitted to the vehicle’s rear spoiler and side panels. A night vision thermal camera image shown in the instrument cluster also provides better visibility of pedestrians and wildlife on dark roads.The Smart Edition also showcases GWM’s new entertainment software — Coffee OS3 — promising faster processing and better graphics for the existing 14.6-inch central media screen and rear passenger display.Luxury touches coming on the Smart Edition include a 50W fridge in the centre console armrest, which can now keep items cool to -6C.    The new edition also brings updated exterior styling to the Tank 500 including the brand’s new grille, redesigned headlights, fixed sidesteps and a new green body colour.The new Tank 500 Smart Edition launched in China this week, and CarsGuide has reached out to GWM Australia to confirm its arrival locally.The current Australian GWM Tank 500 range has three grades: the Lux Hybrid, Ultra Hybrid and Vanta Hybrid with prices starting at $66,490 driveaway.The Tank 500 is a petrol-electric hybrid vehicle and it's also a capable off-roader with a ladder frame chassis and four-wheel drive making it a rival to the Toyota Prado for budget conscious buyers.In Australia the Tank 500 is offered with one powertrain — a petrol-electric hybrid combining a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine with an electric motor making a combined 255kW and 648Nm.Since the vehicle launched in Australia in 2024 the Tank 500 has undergone a host of upgrades to suspension, driver safety alert systems and exterior design.Australian sales of the Tank 500 this year have lagged behind its smaller Tank 300 stablemate. GWM has sold a total of 894 Tank 500s (until the start of August this year) compared to the 2810 for the Tank 300. 

If you need any more proof that China is becoming the dominant force in Australia’s automotive landscape, consider this.In the first six months of this year, 102,938 Chinese-made vehicles have been sold in Australia. Flash back five years to 2020, Chinese vehicle sales totalled just 11,055 in the same six-month period.That’s an 831 per cent increase in just five years. At this rate, China will overtake Thailand as the number two country of origin in Australia by next year. Japan is currently number one for imports, but for how long?Clearly a large number of Australians have no issue buying Chinese-built cars.The top 10 car brands for the first half of the year include Chinese giants GWM and BYD in seventh and eighth place respectively, while Tesla - which only imports cars to Australia from China - is ninth and SAIC-owned MG is just outside the table in eleventh.Yet looking at some of the commentary around this trend you’d be mistaken for thinking otherwise. There’s still a lot of negativity around Chinese brands and models despite the appetite for them here in Australia. But is it warranted?Honestly, it’s complicated.I appreciate some people have a moral issue buying a Chinese car given the long list of alleged current and historical human rights abuses carried out by the Chinese government. This is understandable.However, you could argue that if you take a stand against a particular country for historical human rights abuses there wouldn't be many countries left to buy cars from. The US isn’t exactly covering itself in glory when it comes to human rights at the moment.Other people take issue with the perceived quality of Chinese-made vehicles, in terms of build quality, materials and what they’re like to drive. And some of this concern is absolutely valid.The first crop of Chinese cars to hit Australia were, largely, awful. GWM, back in 2009 when it was just called Great Wall, served up some stinkers. The V240 SUV and X240 ute were terrible to drive, had poor build quality and the ute was even engulfed in an asbestos scandal.MG’s reboot as a Chinese-owned marque started in 2013 with the already dated MG6 sedan, but before it, Chery’s terrible trio of the J1 and J3 hatches and the J11 SUV ensured an early exit for the brand.Even some more recent attempts have been less than successful. Poorly calibrated advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) impacted Chery’s relaunch here a few years back with the Omoda 5, while even Deepal’s own company executives admitted the S07 EV was the most annoying car on sale in Australia thanks to incessant beeping and ADAS intervention.And, having driven a large number of Chinese cars currently on sale in Australia, I can confirm it is a mixed bag of good, bad and in between.But things are changing fast. I spent some time recently in China driving a raft of new models from BYD. While the test track was far too limited to develop decent drive impressions, it’s clear the overall quality of their cars has improved significantly. The interior design, materials used and even things like seat design impressed a lot of us hardened Aussie motoring writers.MG is on a roll at the minute, too. While I am yet to drive one myself, everyone that’s tested the MGS5 EV, including our very own Laura Berry, has raved about it. It’s like an SUV version of the already impressive MG4, only even better.GWM is consistently improving its models as it goes and having driven cars like the Tank 300 diesel and Haval H6 GT PHEV, I can confirm this to be true. Hiring noted former GM Holden engineer Rob Trubiani to tune its products will only help further.The quality of Tesla’s product improved greatly when Australian sourcing shifted from the USA to China a few years back.Granted, there are still some decidedly average cars in many of the Chinese brands’ model range.But to dismiss all cars from China is to fight a losing battle. Check those sales numbers again. Very soon half of the brands in the top 10 will be from China. GWM, MG and BYD all have ambitions for the top five or top three and some of the legacy brands aren’t doing much to stop them.I have had some alarming conversations with executives from legacy brands about China’s rise. I won’t name names, but multiple execs from top 10 brands have dismissed the popularity of Chinese brands in Australia and their potential to take over the industry. There is a sense from some that buyer loyalty will ultimately lead people back to long-standing brands.But this ignores the fact that hundreds of thousands of Australians don’t care about loyalty and they just want a good deal. And they are getting that in spades from the Chinese carmakers, much more than they are from the Japanese, Korean and European brands that have dominated for so long.So I guess what I am saying is, it might be time to get over the anti-China bias. Because you’re missing out on some pretty good cars. And in a few years there might not be as many non-Chinese brands to choose from.

Mahindra has confirmed that the long-awaited Thar will not be sold in Australia in its current form. The rugged, body-on-frame wagon was expected to arrive sometime this year in traditional three-door and extended-body five-door wagon guises.

Mahindra has finally confirmed that the Jeep Wrangler-style body-on-frame Thar as we know it will not be imported to Australia.

China’s GWM has made an array of upgrades to its Tank 300 off-roader range that aligns it with the recently introduced turbodiesel variants.The Tank 300 petrol and hybrid variants have now been upgraded to get a maximum braked towing capacity of 3000kg, which is up from the previous 2500kg.This means the entire Tank 300 range is now capable of towing a braked trailer of up to 3000kg.While this is more than the Jeep Wrangler can tow (2495kg), it’s still down on the 3500kg benchmark the Ford Everest, Isuzu MU-X and Toyota Prado achieves.Payload has also been increased to 600kg for the hybrid and 610kg for the petrol.In order to increase the braked towing capacity and payload, GWM made more than 20 engineering enhancements to the Tank 300.These include larger front brakes and calipers, strengthened front knuckles, upgraded wheel bearings, and a reinforced prop shaft.Beyond these upgrades to the Tank 300 petrol and hybrid, GWM has “streamlined” the range down from six variants to four.As part of this it has seen the entry-level Tank 300 Lux petrol and hybrid discontinued from the range. They’re now only offered in the flagship Ultra trim.This comes as the recently introduced turbo-diesel engine option is now accounting for 60 per cent of monthly Tank 300 sales.“These important updates reflect our global team's growing understanding of the Australian market, where towing capability and payload remains a key consideration for buyers in this segment,” said GWM Australia and New Zealand head of marketing and communications Steve Maciver.Despite the towing capacity upgrade, GWM hasn’t increased the asking price of the Tank 300 petrol and hybrid.The range still opens at $47,990 drive-away for the Tank 300 Lux Diesel, and extends to $56,990 drive-away for the Tank 300 Ultra Hybrid.

GWM confirms new 3.0-litre diesel to live alongside new 4.0-litre V8 in high-end Tank and Cannon products for the Australian market.

GWM local ride and handling program to kick off this year, may also incorporate ADAS systems improvements.

Every new Chinese auto brand that launches in Australia has bold ambitions and even bolder sales targets. Some claim they want to be the top brand in Australia, others declare they will usurp much-loved brands in the top 10 sales charts in nothing flat.

Pricing for the new turbo-diesel variants of the GMW Tank 300 have been revealed.

Sales of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are up more than 100 per cent as Australians look for ways to cut their fuel bills and embrace new technology.