Great Wall Motor’s Tank brand has released an official image of its latest SUV, following the release of unflattering photos by the Chinese government last week.
Said photos of the production model Tank 700 were published by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, depicting what appeared to be a lower-spec model finished in white.
On the brand’s Weibo account, it acknowledged these images weren’t the best, saying, “I didn’t take a good ID photo” with a smiling emoji.
The teaser image shows what appears to be an up-spec model with sportier-looking black and silver 22-inch alloy wheels like those of the 2021 concept.
There’s a black finish for the grille and roof rails, while the interior also appears to have dark upholstery.
Car News China reports the Tank 700 will debut at this year’s Shanghai motor show, which will take place in April.
“No decision on Tank 700 has been made for Australia yet. As with all new models, we’ll take a look and see whether or not a business case can be established,” said a spokesperson for GWM Australia.
MIIT filing image
The Tank 700 is set to measure 5090mm long, 2061mm wide and 1952mm tall on a 3000mm wheelbase, marginally larger than a Toyota Landcrusier 300, which in Sahara ZX guise measures 5015mm long, 2000mm wide and 1950mm tall on a 2850mm wheelbase.
It’s similar in size to the more conservatively styled Tank 500, which measures 5070mm long, 1934mm wide and 1905mm tall on a 2850mm wheelbase.
GWM has yet to release the full specs for the upcoming Tank 700, however the concept features a turbocharged 3.0-litre petrol V6 engine partnered with a nine-speed automatic transmission producing 268kW of power and 450Nm of torque.
The concept had a wide range of off-road features including creep and wading modes; locking front, centre and rear differentials; air suspension; and an active stabiliser bar that can disconnect the left and right wheels.
The 700 will sit at the top of a growing Tank range. The GWM Tank 300 has already gone on sale in Australia and the GWM Tank 500 is expected to follow later this year, while the brand also revealed a flagship 800 luxury SUV concept in 2021 that appears production-ready.
All are traditional, body-on-frame SUVs.
Tank 700 concept 
Tank 800 concept
The Tank brand was launched globally in 2021, and aims this year to sell 350,000 vehicles globally and achieve the highest off-road SUV market share in China and third-highest globally.
It aims to sell 500,000 vehicles in 2025 and become the top off-road SUV brand in the world in terms of market share.
It sold 123,881 vehicles globally in 2022, making it Great Wall Motor’s third best-selling brand ahead of electric vehicle brand Ora (103,996) and premium crossover brand Wey (36,381).
MORE: GWM sold another million cars last year, 170,000 outside China
