Halo GWM Tank 700 a step closer to Aus

The monstrous GWM Tank 700 has taken another step towards an Australian release, following carsales’ discovery of patent documents for its design on IP Australia, however GWM Australia is yet to comment officially.

GWM Australia has made no secret of its interest in the six-figure Tank 700 upper large SUV over the past 12 month or so, and now the would-be Nissan Patrol and 300 Series rival is looking even more likely for our market.

Registered as of September 29, GWM Australia has secured the flagship Tank’s exterior design with IP Australia which, while a long way short of an official confirmation, certainly sets the scene for a product announcement in the coming months.

GWM’s local arm has proven it can move quickly when it comes to product and has been talking up the 700’s chances for more than a year now.

Intriguingly, only the flagship Tank 700 Special Edition’s design has been registered with IP Australia, suggesting the luxury 4x4 might only be offered here in modest or exclusive numbers.

The Special Edition is currently offered in China with a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 plug-in hybrid system outputting a combined 385kW/850Nm and dons a unique aesthetic resembling what we imagine a Brabus G-Wagon crossed with a previous-gen Shelby Mustang would look like.

It sits on 22-inch alloys as standard and rides on adaptive air suspension, but that doesn’t mean it can’t handle the rough stuff: low-range gearing, front and rear diff locks, electronic sway bar disconnect, five off-road drive modes, full-time 4x4 and a 970mm wading depth are all included as standard.

Equipment? There’s more of it than you can poke a stick at, but a few select highlights include a Rolls-Royce-style ‘Starry Sky’ roof liner, heated, cooling and massaging seats, reclining second row, a 16-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, acres of leather and vast digital interfaces.

GWM Australia hasn’t responded to carsales’ most recent line of enquiry on the subject – we’ll update this article as soon as it does – so we can’t provide an update as to the 700’s local timeline, but at this stage, we suspect it might materialise in the first half of 2026.

Executives have spoken previously about how the 700 would massively outshine the 300 Series from a value perspective and outpower it (when referring to the upcoming V8 turbo-petrol-electric powertrain), while global bosses confirmed earlier this year that right-hand drive production was happening.

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