Short history:

GWM entered South Africa in 2007 with a range of commercial vehicles. The company’s dedication paid off and in 2016 the remaining local shareholding was bought out by the global GWM Group. This made GWM South Africa a wholly owned subsidiary under the new name of Haval Motors South Africa.

Today, GWM is one of the largest privately owned automotive manufacturers in China listed on the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges and it ranks among the Top 10 vehicle brands in South Africa. In recent years, the GWM universe has expanded to include Haval (luxury SUVs and Hybrids), the GWM P-Series (luxury and workhorse bakkies), the GWM ORA (electric vehicle) and now the GWM TANK.

Exterior:

The SUV, built on a ladder frame chassis, boasts full off-road capability with some standout design features, including the round LED headlamps that are dissected by bright LED daytime running lights.

An off-road front bumper with integrated LED fog lamps exposes the Michelin HEV SUV tyres and aids technical off-road driving.

The side profile frames off the large alloy wheels with black fender extensions. The fenders are connected with a black running board. The door handles, large side mirrors and roof rails are treated in a similar black finish.

At the back, there are square LED tail lamps, a door-mounted spare wheel – also fitted with a full-sized alloy wheel – and a square rear bumper with integrated tow-bar mounting bracket and 12 Volt power plug.

Interior:

All Tank 300 models are fitted with an array of cameras that give the driver a bird’s eye view of the vehicle when parking or manoeuvring in tight spaces.

A unique additional feature is Chassis View, which uses artificial intelligence to make a composite of the camera views to completely eliminate the body from the video feed. This gives the driver a near complete view of the terrain under the vehicle.

All these and many more features are easily controllable from selector switches around the gearshift and a number of off-road menus on the large, high-definition touchscreen in the cabin. The dual screen system displays off-road ready information such as altitude, air pressure, compass, body roll angle, steering wheel and wheel angle, and tyre pressure.

Quilted leather abounds in the cabin, including in the door panels and, using micro-fibre leather, on the steering wheel.

For the rest there are an array of convenience, safety and luxury futures.

Off-road systems:

GWM has developed two unique 4x4 systems on this sturdy platform. The first, an All-Terrain Driving System with Multi-Terrain Select, will be available on the internal combustion models that are expected within the next few weeks. More information on these models will be made available soon.

The second is a unique all-time four-wheel drive system with intelligent electronic management and low range. This system is unique to the Hybrid Electric Version of the GWM Tank 300, the first model to arrive in South Africa.

This system gives the driver full control of the vehicle responses in all terrains, with a choice between the following driving modes: Normal, Economic, Sport, Stone, Snow, Sand and Low-Range 4x4 driving.

The GWM TANK 300 offers 224 mm of ground clearance and has an approach angle of 33 degrees. The departure angle is 34 degrees, while the ramp-over angle is 23.1 degrees and it has a maximum wading depth of 700 mm.

Engine:

The Hybrid Electric version 2-litre, turbo-petrol engine has a combined power output (petrol/electric) of 255 kW (petrol engine 180 kW and the electric motor 78 kW). Combined torque is 648 Nm (petrol engine 380 Nm and the electric motor 268 Nm). The transmission is a 9-speed Hydraulic automatic gearbox.

The Tank 300 petrol models are equipped with a next-generation turbo-petrol engine offering 162 kW and 380 Nm connected to an 8-speed automatic gearbox.

Range and prices:

Tank 300 2.0T 8AT 4x4 Super Luxury (R725 950 - Available Late Q1), Tank 300 2.0T 8AT 4x4 Ultra Luxury (R775 950 - Available Late Q1) and the Tank 300 2.0T 9HAT 4x4 Super Luxury (R851 950).