GWM reveals new game-changing SUV at Shanghai motor show

Value-for-money car brand reveals details of four new models, including one with new tech it claims will trump more established rivals.

Chinese brand Haval has a new rival for the Toyota RAV4 hybrid. Picture: Supplied.

Chinese giant GWM (Great Wall Motors) is about to unleash a wave of new models including a plug-in hybrid family SUV.

The Toyota RAV4 rival, codenamed B07, made its debut at the Shanghai motor show.

It promises a driving range of more than 1200km on a single tank of petrol and a fully electric driving range of up to 105km.

The B07 is powered by a small turbocharged petrol engine and two electric motors – one on each axle – providing all-wheel drive. GWM claims combined outputs are 205kW and 585Nm.

GWM says its hybrid tech differs from other cars on the market as once the battery runs out, it switches modes and works as a traditional hybrid such as those sold by Toyota.

Other plug-in hybrids switch to petrol power only when the battery is depleted, which makes them as thirsty as a conventional car.

The GWM BO7 will take on Toyota’s RAV4 Hybrid in the mid-size SUV market. Picture: Supplied.

GWM says that by using the petrol engine to recharge the battery, it can continue to deliver hybrid power even when the battery is depleted, using just 5.5L/100km.

“Even when the battery runs out, the car can work as a normal unplugged hybrid, with good fuel economy,” says a company statement.

“Traditional PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles) lose all the efficiency gained by the short 50-60km EV range due to heavier battery weight using an internal combustion engine, and make the car not very energy efficient after all.”

The plug-in hybrid has plenty of tech features including dual 12.3-inch screens, one for the infotainment and the other for the driver’s instruments. It also comes with a big head-up display that projects vital information such as travelling speed and safety info onto the windscreen in front of the driver.

The hi-tech cabin features big screens and a digital head-up display. Picture: Supplied.

It goes on sale in China this year, with global markets to follow.

It will be sold under GWM’s SUV brand Haval and likely to slot into the local line-up.

GWM also showed off its Shanhai Cannon ute, a full-sized dual-cab comparable to American-style machines such as the Ford F-150 and Ram 1500.

It comes with a beefy 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 engine that makes 260kW and 500Nm.

GWM also showed off it's the Tank 500, a large four-wheel drive aimed at the Toyota Prado and Ford Everest.

It has turbodiesel power and some heavy duty off-road ability thanks to high and low gearing, generous ground clearance and steep approach and departure angles.

The Tank 500 hasn’t yet been confirmed for Australia, but it is highly likely to come.