Chinese Tanks take aim at Land Rover

Chinese car maker GWM, which already sells the Ora 03 and Haval Jolion Pro cars in the UK, is looking to bring its tough-looking Tank 4x4s to rival Land Rover.

Tank models are already on sale in right-hand drive in Australia and have been going down a storm in Tank’s Chinese home market. They aim to blend real off-roading ability with decent on-road manners, at a fraction of the cost of rival Land Rover models.

Two Tank models are currently on sale in Australia: the Tank 300 at 4,760mm long sits between the Land Rover Discovery Sport and full-size Discovery, while the Tank 500 measures 5,078mm in length, not far off the Land Rover Defender 110.

Although both Australian-market Tanks have petrol hybrid power, it’s expected that plug-in hybrid technology is most likely when the cars come to the UK. Tank’s plug-in Super Hybrid systems are already available in their home market, with the Tank 300 Hi4-T claiming an all-electric range of over 60 miles and a combined petrol/electric range of around 535 miles.

The Tank 500 Hi4-T promises 74 miles of all-electric running, while the Australian Tank website claims 402bhp and 750NM of torque from its 2.0-litre engine combined with high-power front and rear drive motors, meaning a 0-62mph time of 8.3 seconds. The car’s 37kWh batteries are split up around the car at multiple points on the inner side of horizontal and vertical beams and the upper part of the body floor for maximum protection, especially when off-roading.

There’s plenty of tech available including lidar and radar sensors, plus multiple cameras for advanced driver assistance systems – Tank claims its 500 models can spot a pedestrian as far as 90 meters away. It’s full of additional tech including a 14.6in central control screen and a 17.3in rear entertainment screen, plus family-friendly features like fridges, fold-flat seats and four-zone voice control.

In Australia, the Tank 500 plug-in hybrid sells for just over half the price of a Land Rover Defender 110 PHEV. If that’s the same over here, then a Tank 500 would cost under £40,000.

As well as the potential for new Tank models, GWM will be relaunching its Ora brand in the UK with a new all-electric VW ID.3-rivalling Ora 5 joining the smaller Ora 3 (formerly known as the Ora Funky Cat), while the Haval brand is also set to expand possibly with the arrival of its own rugged-looking SUV the Haval B26.

Speaking to The Independent, GWM bosses stressed how important the UK market is to them and how they would be developing future UK-bound models to cater more to UK tastes.

All GWM models are imported through International Motors, which also sells Xpeng and Subaru models through its network of UK dealers.