Latest news with #GWMGlobal
Zawya
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Zawya
GWM Mass-Production Off-Road Fleet Competes in China's Largest Desert Rally
On May 20, the 2025 Taklimakan Rally kicked off in the Taklimakan Desert, China's largest desert. Dubbed the 'Dakar of Asia,' this grueling event is renowned for its harsh environment and extreme challenges. It stands as the pinnacle of long-distance off-road racing in China and is considered one of the world's top desert rallies. A decade after winning the overall championship, GWM ( returns to the race with mass-production models from three major product lines, aiming for victory and showcasing its technological strength and confidence. The 2025 GWM Taklimakan Rally Team lineup reflects the company's strategic self-assurance. Every vehicle in the race is a mass-production model, including the HAVAL B26 (gasoline), HAVAL H9 (diesel), TANK300 Hi4-T, TANK400 Hi4-T, TANK500 Hi4-Z, and the GWM POER V6. All these vehicles are equipped with stock engines and transmissions identical to those sold to consumers, with only essential safety modifications for competition. By choosing to race with the same vehicles as its customers, GWM subjects its R&D, quality control, and validation systems to the ultimate test, proving the reliability, durability, and stability of its products under extreme rally conditions. The HAVAL team is fielding a dual-power lineup with two HAVAL B26 and two HAVAL H9 models (gasoline and diesel), continuing its mission as a 'global SUV expert' to represent the hardcore SUV segment in head-to-head competition. Through the rally, HAVAL demonstrates its latest advancements in all-terrain off-road technologies, truly embodying the transition from everyday life to the race track. The TANK Hi4 team brings a pioneering new energy lineup to the rally, entering the newly established NEV (New Energy Vehicle) category for the first time. The TANK300 Hi4-T, TANK400 Hi4-T, and TANK500 Hi4-Z are all competing, testing the limits of power and energy efficiency under extreme climates and terrains. These advanced new energy architectures take on conventional competitors, pushing the boundaries of off-road capability through technological innovation. The GWM POER V6 team represents Chinese pickups on the high-performance stage. The POER V6 is powered by a self-developed 3.0T engine, delivering explosive horsepower and instant throttle response, tearing through the desert terrain like a unleashed beast. From gasoline to new energy, from SUVs to pickups, the GWM team breaks through brand boundaries and powertrain technologies to launch a full-scale assault. Each racing team embodies the brand's 'Smart Off-Road' philosophy, resonating with both product strength and brand spirit. The China Taklimakan (International) Rally, officially known as the Taklimakan Desert Auto-Moto Rally, was founded in 2005. After years of development, this event—known as the 'Dakar of the East'—has become an internationally recognized rally sanctioned by the FIA. Held in China's largest desert, the rally's extreme challenges and stunning natural landscapes attract competitors from all over the world each year. The 2025 Taklimakan Rally spans approximately 4,500 kilometers, with 2,350 kilometers of special stages. It traverses regions such as Aksu, Kashgar, and Hotan in Xinjiang, covering China's most iconic and extreme terrains—deserts, gobi, and yardangs. With 65% of the course set in desert zones, the rally delivers peak intensity, posing a brutal test of driver skill and a deep examination of vehicle capabilities including chassis tuning, powertrain cooling, suspension setup, and drivetrain responsiveness. Taklimakan is both a proving ground for products and a crucible for brand spirit. From data collection and issue reviews to structural validation and performance fine-tuning, the rally becomes an integral part of GWM's product development system. At the same time, the race serves as a powerful medium for spreading the brand's culture. This high-stakes desert rally takes place from May 20 to June 1, traversing brutal and ever-changing terrain, pushing both vehicles and drivers to their limits, while capturing the eager attention of off-road enthusiasts around the world. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of GWM.
News.com.au
24-04-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
GWM unveils wild new V8 motor in China
GWM has shocked the new-car market with a massive announcement — it is going to sell V8 petrol models, and the first is a Tank 300. The new, ahem, Xi Wagen clone brings a new powertrain that hasn't been employed in any other GWM product to date. It's a 4.0-litre turbo-petrol V8 engine with a plug-in hybrid system integrated into it. The so-called 'P2' system includes an electric motor sandwiched between the engine and the hybrid-specific nine-speed auto transmission. Power outputs and full specifications for the new V8 petrol engine are still to be confirmed, but the Tank brand's executive vice president, Gu Yukun, claims the business has done something that big brands from around the world haven't managed to. 'This is the most anticipated, game-changing technology for this auto show,' said Mr Yukun. 'We will meet enthusiasm and turn it into reality,' he said, before referring to the new V8 engine as a 'tough challenge' in the current emissions-focused environment. 'We have solved many problems that foreign companies haven't solved,' he said, before suggesting that the hybrid system helps the V8 engine — which also has hi-tech fuel saving features such as variable displacement — answer a question that luxury brands out of Germany haven't yet managed to do. GWM dazzled international influencers at Auto Shanghai 2025 with its advanced lineup! The showstoppersâ€'from the off-road-ready 4.0T V8 engine to high-tech zero-G seats, and from the roaring modified TANK to the new Hi4 HAVAL SUVsâ€'had global audiences buzzing! Learn more:… — GWM Global (@GWMGlobal) April 23, 2025 Mr Yukun stated that the V8 powertrain will 'leave China's footprint on one of the world's most challenging areas'. Speaking with Tank staff on the stand at the motor show, it was made clear that the powertrain is not yet confirmed for any specific model, but the boss of the brand said that It 'will be integrated into Tank models in the future'. Other staff said that the V8 Is 'under research' for all applications — from the 300 to the 500, and other models in the GWM stable, too. Specifically, 'all Tank models are under research for the V8 engine', this publication was told. It may indeed find its way into a new, heavily modified version of the Tank 300 known as the Hooke Edition, a hardcore take on the Tank 300 theme that is named after a challenging all-terrain area in the west of China. The Tank 300 Hooke Edition model on show in Shanghai featured a revised footprint, with its front wheels pushed forward and elongated guards (and a bigger engine bay!) and a longer wheelbase, not to mention a new five-link front suspension and suspension with remote reservoirs — similar to what you see in a Ford Ranger Raptor. It also scores a lift kit, and more hardcore wheels and tyres, with better approach and departure angles and a similar break-over angle, despite the stretched wheelbase. @davemotoring The GWM Tank 300 takes on Jeep's Wrangler Rubicon for about half the price… ♬ Moon - Siggerr Executives on site said the revisions to the Tank 300 Hooke will make it more of a competitor to the Ineos Grenadier, and the model on show also featured a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel six-cylinder engine — also a possibility for the Australian market. GWM Tank execs also lauded the new diesel engine technology on offer, stating that one in five Tanks with the option available are diesel-powered, and that 'user feedback on diesel models have far outreached expectations'. The GWM Tank 300 is currently the only model in the brand's local range to come with a diesel option, following the launch of the new 2.4-litre turbo-four engine earlier this year.
