GWM Tank 700 LWB: Even longer version of Toyota LandCruiser rival spied

The large GWM Tank 700, the current flagship of the Chinese auto brand’s Tank line of off-road SUVs, is getting even larger.

Spied by CarExpert in Baoding, China, where GWM is headquartered, this Tank 700 prototype has a slightly longer body than the regular large SUV.

It’s understood this stretch has been made to accommodate a third row of seating, something the existing Tank 700 doesn’t offer.

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Felipe Muñoz was able to get a better view of one of the prototypes, revealing more conventionally shaped rear-quarter windows. There also appears to be a slightly longer rear overhang overall, though we’d expect a stretch in wheelbase as well.

The five-seat Tank 700 measures 5105mm long, 2061mm wide and 1985mm tall on a 3000mm wheelbase, making it larger in every dimension than the Toyota LandCruiser, which is up to 5015mm long, 2000mm wide and 1950mm tall on a 2850mm wheelbase.

Given the current Tank 700 is being engineered to accommodate GWM’s new V8 petrol engine for utes and SUVs, we’d expect this long-wheelbase variant to also offer bent-eight power.

GWM Australia says it’s too early to confirm any local release plans for the 700 LWB – or whatever it’ll be called – at this stage. A reveal may take place later this year.

The standard Tank 700 itself has yet to be locked in for Australia, with GWM potentially waiting for another facelift or a next-generation model before launching it here. The vehicle has received a mild facelift, which was revealed in Beijing this month.

Waiting for a more substantial update would allow GWM Australia to avoid launching its all-new V8 in an older model.

GWM chairman Jack Wei has confirmed the Tank 700 will receive the new V8.

“We developed this V8 to meet the needs of more global users, in markets such as Australia and New Zealand,” said Mr Wei.

“This is completely opposite to the current environment or trend in China; it does not fit the Chinese market.”

The Tank 700 is currently offered with a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine producing 260kW of power and 560Nm of torque, and a pair of plug-in hybrid powertrains: the 385kW/800Nm Hi4-T which uses the V6, and the less off-road-focused 720kW/1375Nm Hi4-Z which uses a 2.0-litre turbo four.

GWM’s new petrol V8 is brand-new, and not related to any of its four- or six-cylinder engines.

It’ll have a ‘hot vee’ configuration, with two identically sized turbos located between the cylinder-heads, and a 6000rpm redline. The V8 will also support hybrid and plug-in hybrid systems to help keep emissions down.

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