GWM names three SUVs in the pipeline for South Africa this year

Its product plans for 2026 selectively detailed in March, Great Wall Motors (GWM) South Africa provided a smidgen more details of the incoming products at the Beijing Motor Show last week.

Aside from the relaunch of the Ora brand, the Baoding-based marque will also debut its new 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine in the P-Series bakkie and Tank 500 SUV.

New models

Haval

On the Haval side, three products will be introduced, although one, a seven-seater, will only go on-sale in 2027.

Of the other two models, the only confirmed arrival for now is the H7 Plus known as the Menglong Plus in China.

New GWM SUVs coming to South Africa in 2026 — *_{The Haval Menglong will soon arrive in South Africa as the renamed Haval H7 Plus. Picture: carnewschina.com}*

Unrelated to the South African-market H7, which carries the Big Dog moniker in China, the H7 Plus is based on the updated Haval Raptor, called Raptor V7, that has been available in the People’s Republic since March.

Arriving before year-end, according to a report from Car Magazine, the Chinese-spec H7 Plus can be had with five or seven seats, and a standard plug-in hybrid powertrain.

According to carnewschina.com, dimensions are as follows:

Length: 4 912 mm;
Wheelbase: 2 850 mm;
Height: 1 905 mm;
Width: 1 950 mm

Power comes from GWM’s 1.5 T-GDI engine paired either to a 23.7-kWh, 33.7-kWh or 44.7-kWh battery pack.

Single and dual electric motor options are offered, with a maximum reported EV-only range of 255 km based on China’s CLTC cycle.

As it stands, GWM South Africa is yet to confirm local market specification.

Wey

In an unexpected surprise, the long rumoured upscale Wey brand will finally debut via a single model called V9X.

Using the moniker Nissan famously applied to its 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 engine that powered the Navara and Pathfinder, the V9X premiered in March as one of the first GWM models to ride on a new electrified platform simply called One.

A six-seater with a 2-2-2 configuration, the V9X’s dimensions, according to carnewschina.com, amount to:

Length: 5 299 mm;
Wheelbase: 3 150 mm;
Height: 1 825 mm;
Width: 2 025 mm

A unique aspect is the powertrain, which pairs a 2.0 T-GDI with dual electric motors from the start, powered by three battery pack options; 55.4-kWh, 66.6-kWh and 80-kWh.

In the former pair, the front mounted electric motor develops 100 kW, while the rear outputs 220 kW and 240 kW, respectively.

For the flagship, a 110 kW electric motor features at the front and a 270 kW unit at the rear.

Combined, the V9X produces either 500 kW, 510 kW or 550 kW, with respective all-electric ranges of 310 km, 402 km and 470 km based on the CLTC scale.

Regardless of which power option is selected, drive goes to all four corners through an industry first four-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT).

Equipped with LiDAR, massaging seats, a 12.3-inch instrument cluster, a pair of 17.3-inch displays for the infotainment system and on the passenger’s side, the V9X also sports a 21.4-inch rear entertainment display, Adaptive air suspension, rear-wheel steering and a 31-speaker sound system.

Set to be launch with hybrid and full electric powertrains in China later this year, the V9X’s local market arrival is still to be approved.

Tank

With the expansion of the Tank brand including the mentioned turbodiesel 500 and the plug-in hybrid Hi-4T 300, the likely biggest, but pending arrival, is that of the Tank 700.

Long rumoured for South Africa, the Car Magazine report names the Tank 700 as being consideration once right-hand drive production is secured.

GWM Tank 700 heading to Australia could spill over to South Africa — *_{Tank 700 is under consideration for South Africa once right-hand drive production becomes available. Picture: Tank China}*

Styled to resemble the Mercedes-Benz G-Class from the side and rear, the Tank 700 has the following dimensions:

Length: 5 090 mm;
Wheelbase: 3 000 mm;
Height: 1 952 mm;
Width: 2 061 mm

Reportedly offering 249 mm of ground clearance, the Tank 700 uses two versions of GWM’s 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engines.

In the standard petrol, the bent-six delivers 265kW/560Nm while in the plug-in hybrid, it is paired with a 37.1-kWh battery pack and a single electric motor for a combined 385kW/850Nm.

What’s more, the Tank 700 will also be one of the first models to use the incoming twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 hybrid engine, of which details are yet unknown.