GWM unveils wild new V8 motor in China

An awesome twin-turbocharged V8 hybrid engine could find its way into discount four-wheel-drives in Australia.

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.

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GWM plans to put V8 power into its Tank 4WDs. Picture: Matt Campbell.

“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 showstoppers—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 SUVs—had global audiences buzzing!

Learn more:… pic.twitter.com/fB0YgLn9Pu

— 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”.

GWM plans to put V8 power into its Tank 4WDs. Picture: Matt Campbell.

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.

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GWM’s Tank 300 has made a splash in Australia. Picture: Supplied

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.

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People visit the 21st Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai on April 23, 2025. (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP)

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.

Originally published as GWM unveils wild new V8 motor in China