Tank 300: The next big thing from Great Wall Motor PH?

There has been quite a bit of controversy regarding Chinese-made vehicles in the Philippines as of late. There are the aftersales issues that you’ve read and heard about (hopefully being addressed), but more recently the optics of a premium Chinese auto launch had us scratching our heads given the current regional political tensions.

Still, the other brands already in the market have to work past these issues that are beyond their control, and that’s exactly what Great Wall Motor is doing.

GWM’s launch in the Philippine market a few months ago saw them partner up with distributor Luxuriant. The new GWM Philippines introduced the GWM Cannon pick-up, the Haval H6 hybrid, the Jolion ICE and Haval Jolion hybrid. And it stands to reason they want to expand their line up further to give their customers more options.

We recently got a tip that GWM is looking to launch something bigger, and upon checking we saw they had a certification for such a vehicle. The specifics of the vehicle says it has a gross weight of about 2,500 kilos and an engine that is 1967cc.

There is really only one feasible vehicle that fits those specific numbers, and it’s the Great Wall Tank 300.

If (or when) it is launched, the GWM Tank 300 will be the largest vehicle in the local lineup. It’s bigger than the Haval H6 at 4.7 meters hence the 2.5-tonne gross weight rating. The vehicle is also powered by a 2.0L turbo gasoline engine with an 8-speed automatic and four-wheel drive as standard.

Judging by the boxy and almost old-school look of the vehicle, you can tell that it really is supposed to be a 4x4. The interior, however, is quite modern with a glass cockpit dashboard design, an almost retro steering wheel, and a rather symmetrical approach to the center console for the shifter and 4x4 dials.

There really is a good chance it’s coming to local GWM showrooms given the market’s affinity for classic and retro SUVs like Jimny, FJ Cruiser, Defender, G Class, and the Jeep. Just looking at the Tank 300, you can tell it draws inspiration from the Jeep and many of the other models there.

The key to the GWM Tank 300 is what price they will be looking at. It might be an interesting proposition if it’s around the PHP 2.1 to 2.5 million range, but at the upper levels of that price point it’ll be right there with 4x4 PPVs from established brands like Fortuner, Montero Sport, Terra, mu-X and Everest.

What do you think? Is it promising? How should GWM price this 4x4?