Great Wall building a full-size pick-up

Great Wall Motors is developing its first large dual-cab ute, which is designed to take on both the mid-size Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger -- as well as the full-size Toyota Tundra, Ford F Series and Chevrolet Silverado – by 2019.

The Chinese commercial vehicle brand announced its audacious pick-up plan during a media drive program for the Haval H9 large SUV this week in Darwin, where it showed a top-secret early rendering of the new dual-cab to attending press.

While prepared to show the media a front three-quarter sketch of the new ute, GWM doesn’t want to make public the drawing – yet.

“We don’t want our competitors to see what we’re doing,” said Andrew Ellis, GWM Australia’s public relations and product specialist.

The drawing depicted a twin-cab similar to Ford’s ute design philosophy, with a large chiselled front-end with hexagonal grille and small rectangular headlights sweeping around to side panels with prominent blistered guards.

Designed primarily for the US and China, where it would be a direct rival to both mid-size and large utes, the new Great Wall pick-up will be in production by late 2019 and is also likely to be sold in Australia.

According to Ellis, the local arm has put its hand up for the as-yet unnamed ute and sent GWM headquarters a specification ‘wish-list’, including a three-tonne towing capacity eight-speed auto, safety features such as autonomous emergency braking, forward collision alert and active cruise control, “and so far no-one’s saying no to us”.

GWM’s ute program is in direct response to the new-found appeal of recreational utes in its domestic market, brought about due to legislative changes, said Ellis.

“There’s been a change in China, where diesel utes are now legal in cities again. So what we’re seeing is that American machines like the F-Series, Silverado and RAM are now hugely popular in China. So there are opportunities there.”

“Given what they’re telling us, big seems to be working in China, because the sales of the American imports are going well.”

Ellis said that apart from being far safer than Great Wall's latest Steed ute (pictured), the new ute will be about the same length, but wider and taller.

Meanwhile, GWM will broaden its Steed range in early 2018 with a single-cab/chassis tray top, which will serve as the new entry-level Steed under the current dual-cab 4x2 petrol model (priced from $24,990 plus on-road costs).

Fitted as standard locally with a 2400mm long, 1800mm wide alloy tray, the new Steed variant is a result of requests by existing owners wanting to replace their cab/chassis V200 and V240 utes.