Tank — Great Wall's Off-Road Brand From the Tank 300 Onwards
Tank is the off-road SUV brand of Great Wall Motor (GWM), the Chinese manufacturer from Baoding. It began in July 2020 as a single model, the Wey Tank 300, shown at the Chengdu Auto Show, and became an independent brand in March 2021. Every Tank is built on a ladder-frame platform with a longitudinal engine, designed for petrol, hybrid and plug-in hybrid drive. The range now runs from the Tank 300 to the seven-seat Tank 500 and the larger Tank 700. The cars are sold across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa.
Key takeaways
- Great Wall presented its Tank off-road platform in July 2020; the first car, the Wey Tank 300, went on sale in China on 17 December 2020.
- In March 2021 Great Wall made Tank a brand of its own, separate from WEY.
- The Tank 500 of 2022 offers a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 with 260 kW (354 PS) and plug-in hybrids of up to 645 kW (877 PS).
- Exports began in Saudi Arabia in July 2022; Thailand assembles Tank models at the former GM plant in Rayong.
Tank at a glance
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Parent | Great Wall Motor (GWM), Baoding, China |
| Platform | Tank platform: longitudinal ladder frame for petrol, HEV and PHEV |
| First model | Wey Tank 300, Chengdu Auto Show, July 2020 |
| Independent brand | March 2021 |
| Models | Tank 300, Tank 330, Tank 400, Tank 500, Tank 700, Tank 800 |
| Plants | China; Rayong, Thailand (local assembly) |
| First export market | Saudi Arabia, July 2022 |
| Brand CEO | Yanzhao Lui |
The Tank platform and the Wey Tank 300
In July 2020 Great Wall Motor introduced three vehicle platforms. One of them, called Tank, was a longitudinal platform for what GWM described as hard-core off-road vehicles. It covers mid-size to the largest SUV and pickup classes and can take internal-combustion, hybrid and plug-in hybrid drive. Great Wall already had decades of experience with ladder-frame pickups; its own history is told in the Great Wall Motors history.
The first car on the new platform was shown the same month at the Chengdu Auto Show. It carried the badge of Great Wall's premium brand and the name Wey Tank 300. It was a square, neo-retro mid-size SUV on a ladder frame shared with the Great Wall Pao pickup, with three Eaton locking differentials and a low-range gearbox. GWM Australia quotes 224 mm of ground clearance and approach and departure angles of 33° and 34°. The launch engine was a 2.0-litre turbo petrol four with 167 kW (227 PS) and up to 387 Nm. Chinese sales began on 17 December 2020.
A separate brand from 2021
The Tank 300 sold well enough to change Great Wall's plans. In March 2021 the company announced that its off-road models would form an independent brand called Tank, while WEY would concentrate on urban SUVs. The Wey Tank 300 became simply the Tank 300 in April. At Auto Shanghai in April 2021 Tank presented two larger concepts, the Tank 700 and Tank 800. In August 2021 it previewed the Tank 400 and Tank 500. WEY's own urban SUVs are listed in the WEY catalogue.
The Tank 300 grew into a family of versions. A hybrid with a 2.0-litre turbo engine and an electric motor delivers 258 kW (351 PS) and 615 Nm, and GWM claims 0–100 km/h in 7.9 seconds. A 2.4-litre turbodiesel was added for some markets, and the Tank 330 of 2024 has a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 with 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance, 265 kW and 500 Nm. Its first online orders sold out in six seconds. Limited runs included 3,000 cars of the Cybertank Edition and 300 of the Yunliang edition. The engines and versions are covered in the Tank 300 guide.
Tank 500 and the plug-in hybrids
The second Tank, the 500, was revealed at the Chengdu Auto Show on 29 August 2021 and went on sale in China on 18 March 2022. It is a full-size, seven-seat SUV of about 4.9 metres with a separate chassis and locking front and rear differentials. The petrol version uses a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 with 260 kW (354 PS) and 500 Nm and a nine-speed automatic gearbox. Its pickup counterpart is the Great Wall Shanhai Cannon.
Hybrid drive is a large part of the brand. The Tank 500 hybrid has 257 kW (350 PS). The plug-in Hi4-T version combines a 2.0-litre turbo four, a 150 kW electric motor between engine and gearbox and a 37.1 kWh battery. It produces 300 kW (408 PS) and 750 Nm and reaches 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds. Its nine-speed hydraulic automatic is described as China's first longitudinal nine-speed automatic with a P2 hybrid layout. The Hi4-Z version listed in the Tank 500 article reaches 645 kW (877 PS).
The Tank 400 joined the range in 2023 and the production Tank 700 in 2024. The Tank 800 is listed among the brand's models without a launch date in the sources used here.
Exports and local assembly
Tank's export programme started in the Middle East. The Tank 300 went on sale in Saudi Arabia on 6 July 2022, and the Tank 500 also had Saudi Arabia as its first foreign market. Australia followed in December 2022 with hybrid Tank 300s in Lux and Ultra trims. The Tank 500 arrived there in January 2024, with a plug-in hybrid added in October 2025.
In Thailand, Great Wall bought the former General Motors plant in Rayong under an agreement signed on 30 September 2020. It has a capacity of 80,000 vehicles a year. The Tank 300 and Tank 500 both went on sale in Thailand on 28 September 2023, and the 500 is assembled locally in Rayong. The Philippines received the Tank 300 in December 2023. In 2024 the 300 reached South Africa in February, Mexico in March and Malaysia in July. The Tank 500 followed in Indonesia (March 2024), South Africa (August 2024), Mexico (March 2025) and Malaysia (May 2025).
In export markets the cars are usually sold as GWM Tank, in line with the "One GWM" strategy of November 2023, which made GWM the master brand outside China. Tank models on 1cars are listed in the Tank catalogue, and other off-roaders are ranked in the best off-road vehicles.
Tank timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Tank platform and Wey Tank 300 shown (July); Chinese sales from 17 December |
| 2021 | Tank becomes an independent brand (March); Tank 700 and 800 concepts at Auto Shanghai (April); Tank 500 revealed (29 August) |
| 2022 | Tank 500 on sale in China (18 March); first export market, Saudi Arabia (July); Australia (December) |
| 2023 | Tank 400; Tank 300 and 500 in Thailand (28 September) |
| 2024 | Tank 330 V6 and Tank 700; launches in Mexico, South Africa, Malaysia and Indonesia |
| 2025 | Tank 500 plug-in hybrid in Australia (October) |
Landmark Tank models
| Model | Years | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Wey Tank 300 / Tank 300 | 2020–present | First car on the Tank platform and the brand's founder model |
| Tank 500 | 2022–present | Seven-seat V6 and plug-in hybrid flagship of the early range |
| Tank 330 | 2024 | V6 mild-hybrid version of the 300 |
| Tank 700 | 2024–present | Largest production Tank so far |
Photo gallery
FAQ
Who makes Tank SUVs?
Great Wall Motor (GWM) of China. Tank began as a WEY model in 2020 and became a separate brand in March 2021.
What was the first Tank model?
The Tank 300, shown in July 2020 at the Chengdu Auto Show as the Wey Tank 300 and on sale in China from 17 December 2020.
Are Tank SUVs body-on-frame?
Yes. All Tank models use GWM's Tank platform, a ladder-frame design with a longitudinal engine.
Does Tank make hybrids?
Yes. The Tank 300 hybrid has 258 kW (351 PS), and the Tank 500 plug-in hybrid Hi4-T has 300 kW (408 PS).
Sources
- Wikipedia — Tank (marque) (accessed 24 Oct 2026)
- Wikipedia — Tank 300 (accessed 24 Oct 2026)
- Wikipedia — Tank 500 (accessed 24 Oct 2026)
- Wikipedia — Great Wall Motor (accessed 24 Oct 2026)
- Wikipedia — Wey (marque) (accessed 24 Oct 2026)
Found a mistake? Report an error
