GWM poised to attack - new models for SA revealed at Auto China 2024

Great Wall Motors (GWM) has established itself in South Africa as a major player. This Chinese brand is one of the largest in its homeland and repeatedly moves more than 1 million new vehicles every year in mainland China alone. Locally, they've diversified and secured their footing in the South African automotive landscape, offering a range of vehicles, including hard-working light commercial vehicles (bakkies), compact, affordable SUVs, premium SUVs, and, more recently, lifestyle 4x4 vehicles. The public reception has been good, and in a struggling local market, GWM has shown significant growth.

Related: GWM reveal upcoming models for South Africa

A recent trip across the pond to China to visit the GWM R&D facility to sample some of the models we can expect to see in the months to come, along with some models not intended for sale in South Africa. Their world-class testing facility in Baoding hosted media from across the globe, allowing us to sample pre-production versions of these exciting models.

Here's some of what you can expect to see in the months to come:

GWM P-Series P500

South Africa is bakkie mad. Recent technological advances in this light commercial sector have made bakkies and double cabs more viable to a greater audience. We're seeing the introduction of several new players in this segment of the market, and GWM is expanding its efforts, augmenting the well-received GWM P-Series with a new, larger, and more luxurious package.

The P500 wears bold styling, lifted straight from the streets of the USA, with a large front grille, prominent badging, and an interior that is both welcoming and tech-laden. We sampled both the road-biased 2.4T derivative that offers the type of equipment that modern consumers are after, in a level of luxury that wouldn't be amiss in a high-end SUV. The off-road focussed Sahar version (likely to wear a different name locally) features unpainted black cladding on the wheel arches, front and rear, has a snorkel, lined bin, and all-terrain wheels and tyres. This version was fitted with the new 3.0-litre twin turbo V6 engine, giving it a generous amount of power. This model is yet to be confirmed for South Africa but looks promising nevertheless.

We can expect to see the local launch of the P500 as soon as July 2024.

Tank 500

Tank is the most recent introduction into the local market, with the retro-themed Tank 300 breaking ground for the marque locally. In this short time, it appears to be well received and will be joined in due course by the Tank 500. The Tank 500 is a mid-size 7-seater luxury SUV with a familiar look to it (the same can be said about the Tank 300, admittedly) and while some may scoff at this, it's a safe play as the resemblance to the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is hard to ignore. As such, it's an attractive machine with a prominent front grille and strong arches. The upright taillights rest on either side of a covered, tailgate-mounted spare wheel.

The digitised cabin combines modern tech with luxury trimmings while remaining utilitarian in its approach. A jaunt on the high-speed oval at the testing facilities showed that the hybrid drivetrain that features a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine delivers enough grunt to comfortably cruise near the 200 km/h mark, while remaining comfortable, quiet and seemingly unphased.

We can also expect to see the Tank 500 in the third quarter of 2024.

Updated H6 and Jolion Pro

The testing days and Auto China 2024 allowed us to get up close with the new Haval H6 and the new Haval Jolion Pro. Both of these models perform well locally and have become the mainstay in the local Haval lineup. The revised styling of these models pulls them inline with some of the more contemporary models on offer with the Jolion Pro receiving a set of LED headlights and wide front grille with vertical brightwork. Black wheel arch cladding lends credence to its crossover nature while the interior steps up the luxury appointments.

The Haval H6 gets a new look with a faceted front grille and vertical daytime running light elements. While this approach is shared with the likes of current Hyundai products, it does it in an elegant manner that belies the affordable price that we expect the new H6 to land at. The interior is significantly updated, and Haval's minimalist approach to control layouts is further advanced with a clean and uncluttered look and feel. The relocation of gear selector to the steering column (ala Mercedes-Benz) is just one additional step taken to simplify operations and aesthetics.

Haval H9

While this may seem like a completely new model in the local market, South Africa has seen the Haval H9 in the past. Overshadowed by the concurrent H6 and H6C of the time, the H9 faded into obscurity despite being a rather comfortable and capable body-on-frame offering with genuine off-road credentials. The new H9 will certainly not go unnoticed. With styling cues lifted from the popular Mercedes-Benz G-Class and Land Rover Defender, the H9 makes a statement that is hard to ignore. The circular headlights and separated taillights, along with the spare wheel mounted on the barn door tailgate, allude to the off-road prowess that the H9 possesses.

The interior, with its black and caramel trimmings, is an opulent place to pass the time and combines both strong horizontal and purposeful vertical elements to echo the boxy exterior styling language. A host of intelligent terrain modes makes the H9 one of the more capable 4x4 offerings, should it make its way to South Africa. Speaking to GWM COO Conrad Groenewald, the H9 would be considered for the local South African market if GWM agrees to make right-hand drive versions of the 2.4-litre turbodiesel that is mated to a 9-speed automatic gearbox.

Tank 400

Another consideration for the local roads and trails is the aggressively styled Tank 400. Seemingly lifted from a dystopian future where apocalypse preparations are in full swing, the Tank 400 features bolt-on style wheel arches, aggressive, angular details and a front-end treatment that is in a permanent scowl. Reminiscent of older Mitsubishis Pajeros and Isuzu Troopers, the Tank 400 offers a unique take on the adventure lifestyle. It certainly looks to be more at home in the bush than it does on the roads, especially with its all-terrain wheels and tyres.

Consideration for this one is a little more distant, and only if Australia believes that they will be able to move enough right-hand drive models will South Africa be able to piggyback on the production run.