Cheaper non-hybrid GWM Tank 300 may go sub-$50K

Upstart new Chinese SUV brand GWM Tank has confirmed a cheaper petrol-powered version of the 2023 GWM Tank 300 Hybrid will go on sale in Australia in the second quarter of this year.

Like the new GWM Tank 300 Hybrid, which was released in Australia last month, the non-hybrid version of the rugged mid-size SUV will target Jeep Wrangler and Land Rover Defender buyers with a strong value equation and a seven-year warranty.

To that end, the new entry-level Tank 300 variant is set be priced at least $5000 lower than the hybrid version, which could see it slip under the magic $50,000 mark given its hybrid sibling is pegged at $55,990 drive-away for the base Lux grade.

“You can expect to see that [vehicle] probably sometime in quarter two [of 2023],” said GWM Australia’s head of communications, Steve Maciver, confirming the new model is on its way.

He added that pricing is yet to be decided but that hybrid models always command a price premium over conventional models “…and you can probably extrapolate and estimate roughly where we’re going to be at in terms of price”.

Given the GWM Haval H6 Hybrid costs $5000 more than its petrol-only sibling, logic suggests a similar if not greater reduction would be applied to the more expensive GWM Tank 300.

That would potentially result in a new $49,990 drive-away starting price for the Tank 300 range, ensuring the Chinese rock-hopper undercuts the Land Rover Defender ($81,950) and Jeep Wrangler ($81,450) by around $35,000 once on-road costs are added.

Powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder (167kW/387Nm), the standard Tank 300 isn’t as powerful as the petrol-electric Tank 300 Hybrid (258kW/615Nm), but will likely mirror the hybrid line-up by arriving in two trim levels – Lux and Ultra.

We had the chance to drive a Chinese-spec GWM Tank 300 in mid-2021 and while the local specifications are not yet set in stone, expect to see the ladder-chassis mud-plugger arrive in Australia with Cooper Discoverer ATT tyres (265/65R17) shod with 17-inch alloy wheels, plus front and rear locking diffs.

The Wrangler-esque 4x4 is based on the same P71 ladder frame as the GWM Ute and is fitted with double-wishbone front and multi-link independent rear suspension affording 224mm of ground clearance and generous approach and departure angles of 33 and 34 degrees respectively, plus five drive modes.

If pre-orders for the GWM Tank 300 Hybrid are any indication, expect customer demand for the petrol-only Tank 300 to be strong.

“We’re sitting at around a couple of hundred [deposits] in the bank [for Tank 300 Hybrid],” said Maciver.

“We’re trying to fulfill them at the moment and we’ve got the supply to do that.

“For customers who want to come and place an order, we're pretty confident they can take delivery of a Tank, we hope, within a 12- to 16-week window or thereabouts.

“So it’s just a case of filling what [orders] we’ve got and then try and get some traction and build up supply more and more as we move forward as the demand grows for that [petrol version] as well.”

Stay tuned for more details as we get them on the circa-$50,000 GWM Tank 300.

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