GWM Tank 400: Aggressively styled off-road SUV a chance for Australia with PHEV power

GWM’s range of Tank off-road SUVs could expand in Australia to include yet another model.

The GWM Tank 400 is under consideration for an Australian launch, though it has yet to be locked in.

“Locally, we’ve heard consumer feedback that they want the car, and so we are pushing forward the business case,” GWM Australia product planning manager Tim Leong told CarExpert.

This could see it join the existing Tank 300 and Tank 500 large off-road SUVs, with the current Tank brand flagship – the Tank 700 – also being evaluated for local release.

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The Tank 300 and Tank 400 share the same ladder-frame platform, though the latter is 225mm longer and rides on a 100mm longer wheelbase. The Tank 400 is also 30mm wider, despite lacking the flared wheel-arches of the Tank 300.

However, like the Tank 300 but not the even larger seven-seat Tank 500, it’s only available with two rows of seats.

In addition to it being a slightly larger option in showrooms, GWM may also look to bring a different powertrain lineup to Australia, with the Hi4-Z plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain under consideration for the Tank 400.

In contrast to GWM’s Hi4-T PHEVs, Hi4-Z vehicles – again, consisting only of large, body-on-frame models – feature larger batteries, less of an overt focus on off-road capability, and more on-road performance.

For instance, the Hi4-Z swaps the mechanical four-wheel drive system of the Hi4-T for “intelligent electric four-wheel drive”, though it retains rear and optional front locking differentials, plus a tank-turn function and off-road crawl mode.

The Hi4-Z upgrades to a 59.05kWh ternary lithium battery, up from 37.1kWh. This increases the maximum DC fast-charge rate from 103kW to 163kW, and bumps electric range from 105 to 200km on the WLTC cycle.

It features an 800V electrical system, and combined range is a claimed 1128km.

Even more marked is the difference in performance. While both the Hi4-T and Hi4-Z powertrains combine a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a pair of electric motors, total system outputs are 310kW and 750Nm in the former and a whopping 635kW and 1195Nm in the latter.

The Hi4-Z has a claimed 0-100km/h time of just 4.3 seconds, down from 6.8 seconds with the Hi4-T. It uses a three-speed direct hybrid transmission.

GWM says the Hi4-Z has a peak output power of up to 600kW, with the front motor able to operate at full load at 215kW and the rear motor at 240kW.

In China, the Tank 400 is also offered with a 180kW/380Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and a 135kW/480Nm 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel.

GWM currently offers the Tank 300 in Australia with petrol, diesel and hybrid powertrains, with a Hi4-T PHEV on the way. The Tank 500, in contrast, is offered as either a hybrid or Hi4-T PHEV, though the former will soon make way for a new 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel.

So, where will the Tank 400 – and the expected Tank 700 – fit into GWM’s local lineup?

“The Tank brand in China is meant to be off-road and luxury. But from an Australian point of view, we do have the ability and the flexibility to split that so the 400 and the 700 can be the more luxury-focused, and the 300 and 500 still remain very off-road-focused,” explained Mr Leong.

The Tank 400 and 700 have particularly similar styling, though the Tank 400 is older. It was first revealed in 2021, and launched in China in 2023.

At 4964mm long, 1970mm wide and 1905mm tall on a 2850mm wheelbase, the Tank 400 is 76mm longer than the Denza B5 – another large plug-in hybrid off-roader from China – but with the same width and a 50mm longer wheelbase.

GWM sells SUVs under its Haval and Tank sub-brands in Australia, but the plan is for Haval to continue offering only SUVs with car-like unibody construction in Australia – that rules out the Haval H5 and Haval H9 offered in China.

Tank models, in contrast, are all body-on-frame off-road SUVs.

The Tank 400’s interior closely resembles that of the updated Tank 300 cabin in China, which we won’t get, so there’s another point of local differentiation.

A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is standard, along with a head-up display, 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and digital rear-view mirror.

Standard luxury features include power-adjustable, heated, ventilated and massaging front seats, a 5.4-litre refrigerator with a heating mode, and tri-zone climate control.

Some Tank 400s also come with a 15.6-inch rear entertainment screen that folds out of the roof, replacing the panoramic sunroof, plus a night vision system.

The suite of active safety and driver assist technology is powered by cameras, radar and, on some variants, a LiDAR unit.

MORE: Explore the GWM showroom