To be GWM about to give it Ute Cannon an older brother?
An eagle-eyed reader shared images of what appears to be testing the GWM King Kong Cannon on Australian roads.
A spokesman for GWM Haval said the King Kong Cannon was “still under research” for the Australian market. It is not uncommon for car manufacturers to test vehicles on Australian roads, even if they are not endorsed for our market.
Measuring 5635mm long, 1880mm wide and 1815mm high, King Kong Cannon is 200mm longer than GWM Ute is now available. It is closely associated with LDV T60 Mega Tubup to 5680mm in length.
Along with the longer bed, the King Kong sets itself apart from the smaller Ute with its aggressive front end inspired by the Nissan Titan.
Tail lights have more than one hint HiLux about them, although the details of the wheels, grille and sides of the body are all pure GWM.
In China, its maker says King Kong is aimed at “young entrepreneurs”. Power comes from a choice of 2.0-litre engines: petrol making 146kW and turbo-diesel making 123kW.
The current Ute is powered by a 2.0-liter turbo-diesel engine manufactured and developed in-house by Great Wall. It generates 120kW of power and 400Nm of torque, which is sent to the road via full-time four-wheel drive.
An eight-speed automatic transmission is standard, and a low-range and locked rear differential are standard.
While the King Kong Cannon for Australia has yet to be finalized, Great Wall Motor is looking to expand its reach locally through both GWM and Haval, as well as two other sub-brands.
Haval is expected to welcome Boxy Dargo SUV (known as Haval Big Dog in China) Down before the end of 2022, along with coupe styling H6 GT SUV.
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Ora Cat 01 -
Haval H6S -
Haval Big Dog / Dargo -
Tank 300
Sub-brand Ora Electric is also on the way to Australia, led by Ora Cat 01 hatchback.
At the other end of the spectrum, 300 tank for sure is also expected to appear in the near future.
Sales from both Haval and GWM are strong in 2022. So far, it’s up 6.1%, led by the Haval Jolion and H6 SUVs.
Thanks to Adrian De Angelis for the photos.
