Great Wall Motor (GWM) has beaten Toyota to the punch with a large, hybrid, body-on-frame SUV.
The company has revealed its new 2022 Tank 500 Hybrid in Thailand, which is roughly the same size as the LandCruiser 300 Series.
The off-road focused Tank brand remains “very much under consideration for Australia” according to a GWM Haval Australia spokesperson, and the company isn’t ruling out any specific models at this stage.
Instead of the standard Tank 500’s mild-hybrid 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6, the Tank 500 Hybrid uses a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine.
Total outputs are 180kW of power and 380Nm of torque.
Power is sent to all four wheels though a nine-speed automatic transmission that houses an electric motor.
GWM doesn’t list any fuel economy figure for the Tank 500 Hybrid, so it’s unclear how much more efficient it is than the standard V6.
The Tank 500 Hybrid boasts hill descent control, plus selectable drive modes – including ‘off-road’ and ‘wading’ modes – that can be changed through voice commands.
Formacar reports the V6-powered Tank 500 has a maximum wading depth of 800mm, ground clearance of 224mm, and approach and departure angles of 29.6 and 24 degrees, respectively.
It’s unclear if these figures will be different for the hybrid.
Tank 500
The V6-powered Tank 500 is also available with front and rear locking differentials, as well as a low-range transfer-case, but GWM doesn’t mention these for the Tank 500 Hybrid.
The exterior of the Tank 500 Hybrid appears to be unchanged from the regular model, with it measuring in at 5070mm long (including the spare wheel), 1934mm wide and 1905mm tall with a 2850mm wheelbase.
In contrast, the Prado is 49mm narrower, 15mm lower, and 75mm shorter with a 60mm shorter wheelbase.
Like the V6-powered Tank 500, the interior of the Tank 500 Hybrid has a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster an a 14.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
Regular Tank 500
GWM also mentions a smaller touchscreen for rear passengers although it doesn’t quote how big it is.
It’s expected the Tank 500 Hybrid will retain the regular model’s lavish interior with a crystal-look gear selector, wood trim, and leather upholstery.
The Tank 500 Hybrid is likely to be offered with a suite of active safety and driver assist features including adaptive cruise control, lane-change assist and emergency lane-change assist.
If the Tank 500 Hybrid comes to Australia it’ll compete against the rumoured Toyota LandCruiser Prado hybrid, as well as the upcoming Ford Everest plug-in hybrid.
Toyota is also set to introduce a hybrid version of its LandCruiser 300 Series.
Great Wall Motor recently filed 16 patents for the Tank name and logo, plus two additional filings for its Ora electric vehicle brand.
It’s also trademarked designs for an array of vehicles, including the Tank 500, Tank 300, the full-sized GWM X Cannon pickup.
There are also filings for the large Tank 700 SUV and the 300 Cybertank. Both of these models were previewed as concepts, though the 700 isn’t expected to receive many changes in the transition to production.
MORE: 2022 Tank 500 revealed
