GWM Australia sets ambitious deadline for utes to meet key sales target

GWM’s ambition to become a top-five auto brand in Australia will rely on the company achieving 1500 ute sales each month – and it has approximately one year to meet that target.

Speaking to media at the launch of the updated Cannon Alpha dual-cab ute and Tank 500 large SUV – now offered with a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine – GWM Australia chief operating officer John Kett said the company has now put in place the models required to appeal to Australian customers.

“Our ambition is to drive to [be in the] top five, so we need to be a top-five player in the ute segment. So, you’ve got to get 1500 a month to get anywhere close to that,” Mr Kett said.

“We’ve got to believe that we’ve covered all our bases across all fuel types, all capabilities, all user needs.

“So for us, if we’re not hitting 1500 utes by some time in the middle-to-later of next year, quite frankly, we’ll be doing what we typically do – [which] is self-reflecting on what we need to do better.”

GWM placed seventh on the sales chart in August 2026, with 4870 monthly sales, overtaking Ford, which sold 4816 vehicles.

To become a top-five brand, GWM will need to beat out both Hyundai and Mazda, which posted 5355 and 6203 sales in August, respectively.

GWM says it now has a strategy in place to grow its sales, offering utes with 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engines, 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engines, 2.0-litre turbo-petrol plug-in hybrid powertrains, and the latest 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine – which is designed to compete directly with the Isuzu D-Max, Toyota HiLux, and Ford Ranger.

“We know, certainly from a ute perspective, that the market is shifting towards plug-in hybrid… but when we think about diesel, it’s still 70, 75 per cent of the market,” Mr Kett told CarExpert in a recent interview.

“And I have absolutely no doubt that even if we sold 200 or 300 a month, and the opportunity is better from a Cannon Alpha 3.0-litre diesel, we’re going to grow volume.”

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