GWM Cannon Hi4-T PHEV confirmed for Oz

GWM Australia has confirmed the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Cannon Hi4-T ute for Australia this week, with local executives saying it will round out the mid-sized Cannon ute line-up as the flagship grade when it arrives in mid-2026.

Local specifications are yet to be confirmed; however, the PHEV Cannon is expected to deliver similar – if not identical – levels of performance and combined outputs as the GWM Tank 300 Hi4-T SUV detailed this week.

The powertrain in the Tank 300 Hi4-T combines a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a 120kW electric motor, for total combined outputs of 300kW/750Nm.

It’s also likely to adopt the 37.11kWh battery pack used in other Hi4-T models, to deliver around 100km of electric-only driving range and offer vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability.

If shared, the plug-in hybrid Cannon would easily be the most powerful mid-size ute in the Chinese brand’s stable. By comparison, the current range-topping Cannon XSR delivers 135kW/480Nm from a turbocharged 2.4-litre diesel.

The inbound ute was confirmed by GWM Australia chief operating officer John Kett during a media briefing this week and is set to arrive by July where it’s all but certain to nab 3.5-tonne towing – a segment expectation – and feature a mechanical four-wheel drive (4WD) system with a Borg Warner transfer case.

In good news for Aussies that weren’t a fan of the awkward packaging compromise seen on the larger Cannon Alpha PHEV – where the spare tyre was mounted in the tub due to the battery taking up too much space under the body – the smaller Cannon Hi4-T should house its spare tyre under the tub.

Local pricing and specifications will be confirmed closer to launch, but the Cannon Hi4-T is all but certain to top the range in terms of price and performance.

It’s also bound to help soften the impact of Australia’s stricter NVES regulations on the brand, which have already put a question mark over the introduction of its new twin-turbo eight-cylinder and could see it offered in limited numbers Down Under, if at all.