GWM shocks with new twin-turbo petrol V8 plug-in hybrid, destined for its Tank off-roaders

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GWM’s lofty ambitions have scaled new heights as the Chinese brand revealed a fresh twin-turbo petrol V8 destined for its flagship Tank off-roaders.

The 4.0-litre boosted bent eight will be used with plug-in hybrid technology to ensure the powertrain remains relevant in the face of increasingly strict emissions regulations in its key markets, including Australia.

While V8s have gradually been dropped from most brands’ portfolios, this is a compelling power play from GWM. Plug-in hybrid V8s are currently the reserve of top-table brands and models, such as BMW’s XM and M5, Bentley’s Continental GT and Ferrari’s SF90. 

So where might this new large displacement donk end up? Revealed at the Shanghai motor show, GWM teased it alongside its hardcore Tank 300 Hooke Trail medium SUV; a special edition named after China’s premier off-road park.

With beefed-up chassis, suspension lift and all-terrain tyres, the Hooke Edition would indeed be a hero model with hybrid V8 power, plugging a gap left by the demise of a V8 in Jeep’s Wrangler, or as a cut-price AMG G-Wagen.

It’d most likely see service in Tank’s larger SUVs, as suggested to Australian media by James Yang, GWM’s head of global RHD markets and aftersales. “Maybe we would like to launch it in the premium Tank 700 (large SUV),” he said. “It’s a bigger size, and for this vehicle I think the V8 is suitable.”

Only the Tank 300 and 500 SUVs are currently on sale in Australia, but the 700, we were told, remains under consideration for our market.

Mr Yang confirmed the V8 engine was “definitely something we’re considering” for right-hand-drive sale, including Australia. 

He recently visited Australia and said: “a lot of the customer scenarios are totally different from China, such as towing. In China we seldom tow, but in Australia it’s very normal. For GWM, in the future, we’ll pay more attention to the local Australian customer scenario.”

He explained a plug-in hybrid V8 would well suit our market as it could satisfy NVES targets, prove economical for urban use running only on battery power, and the V8 petrol would offer range and have the required torque for heavy duty work, such as towing.

“In 4×4 vehicles for towing and off-roading situations, it’s not great when you use just a pure electric motor,” Mr Yang said. Having a petrol-powered V8 also eradicates the range anxiety inherent with pure EVs.

Asked if the V8 could be used in GWM’s pickups – the one-tonne Cannon and larger Cannon Alpha – it was suggested the Alpha could be a candidate, while hinting a larger pickup to rival Ford’s F-150 and RAM 1500 had been in the plans.

However, with the US being by far the globe’s biggest market for such trucks, development has likely stalled in the face of President Trump’s ongoing trade tariff merry-go-round.

Another likely scenario would be the V8 plug-in hybrid seeing service in GWM’s rumoured incoming ultra luxury vehicles, potentially to sit above the group’s Wey premium brand.

Scant details were revealed on the V8 PHEV’s possible outputs, but a model of the powertrain showed it was a “P2 hybrid” where the electric motor sits between the internal combustion engine and transmission.

BMW has found 535kW and 1000Nm from its V8 PHEV setup in the M5 with 68km pure electric range, but GWM would unlikely be chasing such supercar numbers with its effort.

That said, GWM’s presentation promised its “masterpiece of Chinese large-displacement engines” would be a “secret weapon in luxury markets” and it would “arouse the purest driving desire.” Poetic, eh?

In China, a Tank 700 Hi4-T PHEV Launch Edition, which allies a twin-turbo V6 petrol with an electric motor, delivers a claimed 386kW and 850Nm.

The idea of a V8 alternative seeing service in GWM’s off-roaders, pickups and luxury cars is a compelling proposition for the power hungry.