Buyers look beyond sticker price in car purchases
South African car buyers are increasingly considering the full cost of ownership rather than focusing solely on the showroom price or monthly instalment.
- Dealer News
- 12 September 2026
GWM says that it now offers Hybrid Electric Vehicle variants across its entire range of models – making GWM the first automotive manufacturer in South Africa to achieve this milestone.
A global leader in HEV technology, GWM’s current range includes the HAVAL JOLION PRO Hybrid, the HAVAL H6 Hybrid, the P500 Hybrid bakkie and Hybrid versions of both the 300 and 500 TANK models.
The recent addition of the brand-new P500 HEV bakkie and the luxury off-road SUV TANK 500 HEV, consolidated the brand’s move to HEV.
Eco-conscious consumers wanting to make the move to Hybrid technology are now truly spoilt for choice. The all-new P500 bakkie, sometimes referred to as a ‘truck’ owing to its dominating size, is celebrated as the most powerful truck ever built by GWM and South Africa’s most powerful Hybrid bakkie, delivering 255 kW of power and 648 Nm of torque.
Previously, the move towards electric and Hybrid vehicles in South Africa appealed to a small group of environmentally focused individuals only but given the extra power electric motors bring to the driving experience, it is fast becoming a popular choice among many discerning motorists.
Internationally, the green revolution is trending, and GWM is pioneering the movement with its own world-class vehicle battery manufacturing technology, which supplies battery technology to European manufacturers as well. HEV and fully electric vehicles are now the fastest growing segments in the automotive sector globally, and the growth is projected to accelerate dramatically in years to come.
The HEV is far superior in terms of power, delivering 140 kW and 375 Nm of torque, compared to the 105 kW and 210 Nm of torque of the Jolion ICE.
The HAVAL H6 HEV offers a combined 179 kW and 530 Nm of torque compared to its H6 ICE counterpart, which produces 150 kW of power and 320 Nm of torque. The HEV’s fuel economy is taken to a whole new level with a claimed 5L/100km.
In the GWM TANK range, adventure enthusiasts can now also enjoy an ‘electrifying’ performance with lower emissions, in the form of the TANK 300 Hybrid and TANK 500 Hybrid models. Both TANKs pack an impressive 255 kW with 648 Nm of torque.
South African car buyers are increasingly considering the full cost of ownership rather than focusing solely on the showroom price or monthly instalment.
A striking collection of Alfa Romeo vehicles, spanning immaculate classics to the latest performance models, will gather at Modderfontein Bird & Sculpture Park on Sunday 20 September for the 2026 Concorso d’Eleganza.
Kia South Africa has launched an upgraded Sonet range, with more safety, technology, and comfort across the line-up, backed by a five-year warranty with no kilometre limit.
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Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
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Electric and hybrid vehicles are changing more than what South Africans drive. They are changing what happens behind the workshop doors, too.
Range Rover, long regarded as the original luxury SUV, has introduced its first electric model. The vehicle is built at the Solihull plant in the UK, where Range Rover production has taken place since 1970.