Toyota Prado-size GWM Tank 500 coming to Oz

The 2023 GWM Tank 500 is taking aim at the Toyota Prado, and the first example is set to arrive in Australia in a matter of days.

First revealed in China as the Tank 600 in August 2021, the GWM Tank 500 rides on a rugged ladder-frame chassis and roughly matches the exterior dimensions of the Prado, which is long overdue for replacement but remains Australia’s top-selling large SUV.

During a recent preview drive of the new Jeep Wrangler-fighting GWM Tank 300 Hybrid and upcoming GWM Ora electric cars at the AARC proving ground in Victoria, GWM Australia confirmed a left-hand drive Tank 500 was also on its way Down Under for public and press evaluations.

“The Tank [500] that we couldn’t get here for this event will still come here. It’s sitting in quarantine, it’s on the ground, we just couldn’t get it out,” said GWM Australia’s head of communications, Steve Maciver.

“So we’ll use that car to really gauge feedback from the media, from dealers and from customers as well, and just look at where we think it’s at,” Maciver told carsales.

“We’ve very, very serious about it. We don’t have timing but it’s on our radar and we continue to work through the business case.”

While GWM says the Tank 500 is not officially confirmed for Australia, it’s clear its local release is a case of when, not if.

“We have said yes, it’s under consideration [for Australian release] but at this stage it’s too early to say [it’s locked in],” said Maciver.

“That said, we think it is a pretty compelling product proposition. We think it takes us into a space and an area we’ve never been represented in and as a brand that can only be a good thing for us.

“You only have to look at the Tank 500 in its current guise to see that that car is not too far off being production-ready. What that means in terms of a likely launch, who knows? There’s every chance [it could be launched here soon] but I don’t want to put a timeline on it.”

We expect the GWM Tank 500 on sale Down Under by the end of this year, but key details such as launch timing, pricing, engine and equipment lists are far from being finalised.

However, two engine options have been detailed in China thus far and both are expected to be offered in Australia.

They are headlined by a 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6 plug-in hybrid powertrain (300kW/750Nm), which comfortably out-powers and out-torques both the current Prado’s 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four (150kW/500Nm and even the Toyota LandCruiser’s 3.3-litre turbo-diesel V6 (227kW/700Nm).

GWM reckons the flagship Tank 500 will accelerate to 100km/h in a rapid-fire 6.6 seconds and consume just 4.4L/100km of petrol, thanks in part to its 19.9kWh lithium-ion battery.

The other engine fitted to the GWM Tank 500 is a more affordable mild-hybrid version of the same 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6 (260kW/500Nm) that will also power the upcoming GWM Shanhai ute.

The entry-level V6 pairs with a nine-speed automatic and offers a 2500kg towing capacity, which is 500kg less than the Prado’s, although ground clearance of 224mm betters the evergreen Toyota by 4mm.

China’s answer to the Toyota Prado is about the same size, measuring 4878mm long excluding its rear-mounted spare wheel, which is optional on the 4825mm Prado, making it about 100mm shorter than the full-size LandCruiser.

However, the Tank 500’s wheelbase is the same as the 300 Series’ at 2850mm, which is 60mm longer than the current Prado’s.

“The Tank 500 occupies a unique space from a size perspective, [and] from a pricing perspective and allows us to go into potentially new markets we haven’t tapped into previously,” stated Maciver.

The 2023 GWM Tank 500 is expected to be positioned as the Chinese off-road brand’s new flagship and most expensive model to date.

To justify that, it does have a few high-end features up its sleeve, including a crystal gear shifter, two-tone interior finishes, Nappa leather upholstery, a large 14-inch central touch-screen and optional power-adjustable business-class rear seats with eight-point massage functionality and a 7.0-inch rear armrest digital display.

Although the big Chinese SUV has only been announced with petrol power for now, it will almost certainly undercut the entry-level Toyota LandCruiser GX’s $89,181 base price, but probably not the circa-$60K starting price of the Prado.

In China, GWM’s Tank sub-brand has plenty of ammunition, with several other models set to join the range including the rock-crushing, bush-bashing petrol-powered Tank 700 and the Rolls-Royce Cullinan-inspired luxury Tank 800.

An all-new Tank EV has also been confirmed for future introduction in China.

But as far as GWM Australia is concerned, the Tank 300 and Tank 500 are the priorities right now.

“Tank 700 and 800 again stretch further into specific segments and price points that we’re not in today. but they’re probably not something we’re looking at to be honest at this stage,” said Maciver.

“Tank 300 is new to us and we’ve had this launch strategy with Tank 300, so we’ll just be mindful about what we’re bringing in and working out customer demands.

“We feel we would need to do the same with the 500 as well. The Tank 700 or 800 are probably beyond our consideration set at this stage. Never say never, but the Tank 300 is the focus right now and we’ll see what happens with 500 in the future.”

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