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GWM's flagship off-road SUV, the Tank 700, has been confirmed to receive a V8 petrol engine, with Australia likely to be one of the key markets for the new powertrain.
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GWM has confirmed its Tank 700 flagship off-road SUV will lead the roll-out of a newly-developed V8 petrol engine, alongside a high-performance supercar.
At the 2026 Beijing motor show, GWM chairman Jack Wei told Australian media, including Drive, a future version of the Tank 700 "will also use a V8 engine".
"In the future, the Tank 700 will also use a V8 engine," Wei said. "The supercar uses a high-performance V8, while the Tank 700 uses a normal V8.
"This is completely opposite to the current environment or trend in China; it does not fit the Chinese market.
"We developed this V8 to meet the needs of more global users, in markets such as Australia and New Zealand."
Details shared by GWM at the motor show suggest the petrol V8 will be twin-turbocharged and have a 4.0-litre capacity, and will be a further development of its current 3.0-litre turbocharged petrol V6 engine.
"At the Beijing Auto Show, GWM confirmed its all-new GF supercar will feature a 4.0-litre twin-turbo hybrid V8, demonstrating that multiple V8 powertrains are in development across different vehicle applications," GWM Australia said in a media release.
"As part of this broader strategy, the Tank 700 V8 represents a key step in expanding GWM’s high-output powertrain offering, enabling the brand to respond to demand in markets where large-capacity engines continue to resonate, such as Australia and New Zealand."
If it arrives in local showrooms, the GWM Tank 700 would join the GMC Yukon and Mercedes-Benz G-Class as the only body-on-frame SUVs to offer V8 petrol power in Australia, as the Nissan Patrol will switch to a twin-turbocharged petrol V6 engine with the Y63 model due later this year.
Drive understands the V8 engine in the Tank 700 will likely appear in a new-generation or heavily facelifted version of the five-seat large SUV, rather than the current model.
A test mule spotted by Drive near GWM's research and development centre in Baoding, China, appeared to be longer than the current Tank 700, potentially being an early look at a new-generation version.
First launched in China in 2024, a mid-life facelift for the Tank 700 went on sale this month – and debuted at the 2026 Beijing motor show – suggesting a new model could launch in 2027 or 2028.
The current Tank 700 remains under consideration for Australia, with Chinese-market versions featuring a 260kW/560Nm 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 petrol engine, or hybrid versions.
Similar to the Tank 500 plug-in hybrid, the Tank 700 Hi4-T retains mechanical four-wheel-drive, while the Tank 700 Hi4-Z uses electric motors instead of driveshafts.
The Tank 700 Hi4-T V6 has a 385kW/800Nm combined system output, while the Tank 700 Hi4-Z V6 develops 720kW and 1375Nm.
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Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
