CANNON FIRES FIRST SHOT IN HEAVY ARTILLERY EV CAMPAIGN

The GWM Cannon has become the first full electric utility in Australia, the Alpha Ultra Hybrid muscling in between the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Mac and the full-sized pick-ups from Chevrolet, Ford, Ram and Toyota. The Cannon dual cab flagship also strengthens GWM’s New Energy Vehicle strategy, becoming the brand’s sixth NEV offering following the Jolion Hybrid, Tank 300 and 500 hybrids and Ora EV. Coming in three variants with a 2.4-litre turbocharged diesel engine, or 2-litre turbo petrol motor, the latter linked with a hybrid powertrain, all… Read more

GREAT WALL EXTENDS THE RANGE OF ITS CANNON

Great Wall Motor (GWM) has provided details of its largest vehicle to date the Cannon Alpha ute. Due here around mid-2024 the Alpha will be available with a choice of hybrid or diesel powertrains, potentially making it the first ute in Australia to offer a full hybrid powertrain. The addition of the Alpha will be the GWM’s sixth electric vehicle, joining Jolion Hybrid, H6 Hybrid, Tank 300 Hybrid, Tank 500 Hybrid & Ora EV. The range-topping 2.0-litre turbo petrol hybrid engine offers combined outputs of 255kW and 648Nm of torque… Read more

CANNON BIG SHOT: HITS AND MISSES

The Great Wall made an unchallenged impression on the landscape of China during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644); conversely, established as recently as 1984 (2009 in Australia), the titular motor manufacturer has played an impressive leading role in China becoming the largest exporter of motor vehicles in the world. With no let-up in sales of the Great Wall Motors four-door, five-seat 4×4 ute, a new range- topping variant has landed Down Under the form of the rugged Cannon-XSR. Taking the robust foundations of the GWM Ute dual cab platform, the new… Read more

GWM ADDS SEVEN-SEATER TO ITS TANK SUV

Great Wall Motors (GWM) has unveiled the second variant of its Tank SUV with the seven-seat Tank 500 joining the Tank 300 five-seater that arrived here in late-2022. Due to go on sale in the Q2 2024 the all-new body-on-frame Tank 500 comes with a hybrid drivetrain, advanced safety features and a variety of convenience features such as auto reverse assist. As with the Tank 300 its available in two grades, Lux and Ultra. Lux will be priced at $66,490 driveaway with price and full specs of the Ultra to… Read more

THERE’S AN AURA AROUND GWM ORA

Every now and then we get into a car that seems to grab attention wherever it goes. So it has been with the Great Wall Motors (GWM) Ora. Perhaps it was the combination of cute styling, a standout powder blue finish and then ew Ora badge that looks much like an exclamation mark. It drew comparisons with the New Beetle and old Nissan Micra and had us fielding questions throughout the week. Ora is GWM’s first EV and joins the growing list of affordable fully-electric compact vehicles to come out… Read more

GWM TANK 300 ULTRA PETROL

The Tank. Yes, that’s right the Tank, is something a little different from the Chinese Great Wall Motors — known simply as GWM these days. It’s a mid-sized, five-seat SUV, with a catchy name and quirky good looks, that combine to set it apart from and perhaps a little above the competition. But don’t be fooled by the decorations, because it’s a fair dinkum 4×4 with all the necessary bits and bobs, including low and high range gearing. Also, in a departure from practice, while it’s an SUV, Great Wall… Read more

EXTRA VALUE FOR GWM ORA EV

The continuing influx of Chinese built electric vehicles has seen the addition of the first EV from Great Wall Motors (GWM) to the previous offerings from MG and BYD. It joins the other electrified GWM/Haval models – Jolion and H6 hybrid. Launched here in February 2023, GWM Ora EV is a compact hatchback which, with a recent price cut, just (by $10) sneaks under the $40,000-mark plus on-road costs. It comes with two power options, Standard Range with a 48kWh battery offering WLTP range of 310km, and Extended Range from… Read more

GREAT WALL GETS THE X-FACTOR

Great Wall Motors has added a new range topper to its Cannon ute lineup. The Cannon-XSR dual cab ute adds a number of key features to boost off-road design and functionality. They include a new part-time four-wheel drive system with selectable high and low range, plus front and rear locking differentials for extreme off-road conditions. Crawl Mode and Turn Assist by Braking also make their debut and are unique to the XSR. A passive front stabiliser has been added to further enhance handling while an underbody chassis guard and unique… Read more

GWM CANNON CAB CHASSIS

Great Wall has expanded its range of utes with a cab-chassis version called the Cannon CC. Available in dual cab form only, CC swaps its tup for an aluminium tray that’s likely to grab the attention of tradies and farmers alike. Priced from $36,990 it comes in 4×2 and 4×4 configuration, with two grades for the 4×4 version. Power comes from a 2.0-litre turbo diesel that produces 120kW of and 400Nm of torque mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifts. Combined fuel economy is 8.4L/100km for 4×2 and… Read more