Give us a plug! China’s GWM set to launch raft of PHEV Haval, Tank and Cannon models in Australia.

Stand by Australia, Chinese giant GWM could soon unleash a plug-in hybrid attack on our market through its Haval, Tank and Cannon (ute) brands.

Stop that eye-rolling and tutting at the back, those who regard PHEVs as a sad halfway house on the way to battery electric. There are reasons here. And, when you consider the inevitable boost in performance an electric motor or two brings when allied with a combustion engine, any long-held PHEV iciness you have may thaw a touch.

Car brands, GWM included, are acutely aware of next year’s introduction of strict NVES emissions regulations coming to Australia. Under the GWM umbrella it has only one full EV player – the GWM Ora.

The Model 3-rivalling Ora Sport is on ice (for now), so a few more plug-ins in showrooms would help avoid or lessen penalties.

A PHEV onslaught is also likely simply due to availability. GWM has such plug-ins already on sale in overseas markets, or soon about to.

“In theory, anything we’ve got a hybrid drivetrain in today could be converted into plug-in as well,” said GWM Australia communications and marketing boss Steve Maciver. And when it comes to lessening the NVES blow, “plug-in hybrids will need to be a part of that,” he explained.

So what’s on the cards? GWM currently sells hybrid variants of its Haval Jolion small SUV, Haval H6 mid-size SUV, Tank 300 4×4 SUV and Tank 500 seven-seat 4×4 large SUV.

Meanwhile, GWM’s all-new Cannon Alpha Ute (larger than our one-tonners, smaller than a Ford F-150 / RAM 1500) arrives within months as Australia’s first ute with a full hybrid drivetrain – a 2.0-litre turbo petrol-hybrid offering a mighty 255kW and 648Nm of torque. Or, more twist than a Ford Ranger Raptor.

It and the already on-sale (normal-sized) Cannon ute are also candidates as PHEV options for Australia.

GWM’s best-selling product is its Haval H6 medium SUV, if we collate its wagon SUV and ‘GT’ coupe-style SUV models. Aussies bought more H6s than they did Nissan X-Trails in 2023. That’s a solid effort against a stalwart.

Spotted on EV Central‘s recent visit to GWM’s Chinese HQ and the 2024 Beijing Motor Show was the heavily facelifted H6. It’s likely to hit Australia in the next six to 12 months, and introducing PHEV at this point would appear common sense. The model’s already on-sale overseas with this powertrain.

By 2026 this H6 will highly likely be replaced by an all-new generation medium SUV – it’s already been revealed (but not confirmed) as the Xiaolong Max model (it’d still be called H6 in Australia), and for now, that SUV’s available only as a PHEV.

By ’26, would our market really be ready to accept it as PHEV only? With the NVES’s impact, it’s a possibility.

Its inevitably higher price over the current H6 would test Aussies, but most would welcome the decent 205kW/585Nm performance generated by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder/electric motors combo.

Also seen at GWM’s Baoding proving ground was the Haval ‘Dragon Max’ – a Jolion-sized PHEV. We expect a new-gen Jolion in the next 12-18 months, so it’s a teaser that a PHEV model could join the line-up.

In China, at GWM, my Spidey Senses picked up this PHEV push had as much to do with offering segment-busting performance as it did reducing CO2 emissions and improving fuel economy.

Or should it be extra power, torque and performance is a happy by-product of going PHEV? I still wrestle with the idea we’re saving the planet with 2.7-tonne giant utes and SUVs with hulking battery packs.

Anyway, how about GWM’s Tank 700 3.0T Hi4-T – under consideration for Australia to sit as the flagship above the current Tank 300 and Tank 500 4×4 SUVs. It’d be a Toyota LandCruiser 300 and Nissan Patrol rival – but with a plug-in hybrid point of difference.

Thumping anything these legacy heroes offer, this has a 3.0-litre V6 turbo petrol (260kW/560Nm) engine, nine-speed ‘hybrid special’ gearbox, a 120kW/400Nm electric motor, 37kWh battery and mechanical 4WD. Combined, it offers up to 385kW and 850Nm.

It’s currently only available as a PHEV overseas, so if it were Australia-bound, it’d potentially have to come in with just this powertrain. The highest spec version seen in China – which, fair play, is dripping in luxe and desirability (see pic top) – works out to roughly $150,000 in our currency. Lesser grades are closer to $100,000 – but that’s still a big number for something with a GWM badge.

A likelier earlier candidate for our market would be a PHEV version of the just-launched-here Tank 500 seven-seat 4×4 SUV. Prestige PHEVs are relatively commonplace in the large SUV space, and GWM’s Maciver suggested a Tank 500 PHEV was “a realistic option.” The technology’s already there, and Maciver said GWM’s a company that can and does move quickly. If it is approved for RHD, the brand could quickly bring it to our market.

A Tank 400 model – a ladder-frame 4×4 to slot between the 300 and 500 – is another PHEV on the ‘consideration’ list. It would rival the likes of Isuzu’s MU-X. Clearly, there’s lots to cherry pick from.

Market perception will be everything. PHEVs are inevitably pricey next to ICE/hybrid offerings, and Australians would have to get used to higher prices on vehicles with GWM badges. But with the Tank 500 already in market costing from $73,600 in Ultra Hybrid guise, we’re not dealing with a brand just flogging budget-busting cheapies.

The introduction of our NVES will strengthen the business case for bringing PHEVs to Australia – not just for GWM, but for multiple brands that have not gone all-in on full EVs.

It’s going to be a very interesting next few years.