GWM King Kong ute trademarked for Australia

GWM Australia has filed a trademark application for a stretched and beefed-up version of its 2022 GWM Ute known as the GWM Poer King Kong.

Poer is the name that the Chinese car-maker uses for the GWM Ute in China, while the king-sized 4x4 dual-cab ute was first seen late last year ahead of its debut at the Guangzhou motor show as the GWM King Kong Cannon.

Back then, GWM Australia told carsales that the flagship model was under consideration for our market, so our uncovering of the trademark application could point to a firming of the business case.

The ‘Poer’ portion of the model name is expected to be dropped for our market, however the ‘King Kong’ branding could hand GWM a unique moniker that would surely generate widespread interest Down Under.

Measuring 5635mm long, the King Kong dual-cab is 215mm longer than the standard GWM Ute, which is already one of the bigger offerings in the mid-size 4x4 ute market.

The wheelbase also stretches 180mm further than the regular ute.

Early reports out of China suggested the King Kong ute’s payload is only 500kg, while the power sources identified around the time of its unveiling were limited to modest 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engines – a 120kW diesel and 140kW petrol.

In China, the King Kong ute is reportedly aimed at “young entrepreneurs” so it could be positioned in Australia as more of a lifestyle-oriented dual-cab rather than a premium heavy-duty off-roader.

This correlates with key design features on the ute including bladed 17-inch alloy wheels (wrapped in all-terrain tyres), black sports bars and a unique front fascia.

carsales has contacted GWM Australia for comment on the trademark and for an update on the King Kong’s chances here.

But the signs are good.

Late last year, sources told us that we’re “going to see quite a few new additions to the ute range and the line-up over the next 12 to 18 months” .

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