The Tank 500 Hi4-Z has a big battery and a focus on fuel economy to counter the threat from BYD Fang Cheng Bao's Bao 8 SUV.
Tank, the personalized brand of Great Wall Motor, has launched a new model, the Tank 500 Hi4-Z, to counter the threat posed to it in the off-road market by BYD's Fang Cheng Bao brand.
Tank today launched the hybrid off-road SUV (sport utility vehicle), which compromises on off-road performance while is more oriented towards urban use.
The five-seater starts at RMB 363,800 ($49,830), which is RMB 16,000 less than the RMB 379,800 starting price of Fang Cheng Bao's Bao 8.
The Tank 500 Hi4-Z shares the same exterior design as the hybrid SUV Tank 500 Hi4-T, but offers a special variant of red and white gradient paint.
Launched on June 26, 2023, the Tank 500 Hi4-T is the first new energy vehicle (NEV) model from the Tank brand.
Compared to the Tank 500 Hi4-T, the Tank 500 Hi4-Z has more power, better fuel economy, and longer battery life for urban use.
The Tank 500 Hi4-Z measures 5,078 mm in length, 1,934 mm in width and 1,905 mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2,850 mm.
It is powered by a 2 L engine with a maximum power of 180 kW and a peak torque of 380 Nm.
The model is powered by dual electric motors, with the front motor producing 215 kW of peak power and 400 Nm of peak torque and the rear motor producing 240 kW of peak power and 415 Nm of peak torque.
The powertrain allows the Tank 500 Hi4-Z to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds.
It is powered by a Li-ion ternary battery pack with a capacity of 59.05 kWh and a WLTC battery range of 201 kilometers.
At full fuel and full charge, the Tank 500 Hi4-Z has a combined range of 1,096 kilometers.
The model is built on an 800 V high-voltage platform and can be charged up to 163 kW, allowing it to charge from 30 percent to 80 percent in 15 minutes.
The Tank brand is one of the most dominant players in China's off-road SUV market, though its position is being threatened with BYD's entry into the market through the Fang Cheng Bao brand.
Fang Cheng Bao launched the Bao 8 on November 12, 2024, its second model after the Bao 5, and the first under BYD's umbrella to feature Huawei's driver assistance system.
Fang Cheng Bao delivered 11,418 vehicles in December, including 6,406 Bao 5s and 5,012 Bao 8s, according to figures released by BYD earlier today.
In November -- the first month of the Bao 8's launch -- 2,463 units of the model were delivered.
For the full year 2024, Fang Cheng Bao delivered 56,388 vehicles, bringing cumulative deliveries to 62,100 since November 2023 when deliveries began.
As a comparison, the Tank brand sold 21,879 vehicles in December, up 26.38 percent year-on-year and up 8.37 percent from November, according to data released earlier today by Great Wall Motor.
The Tank brand sold 231,001 vehicles in 2024, up 42.12 percent from 2023.
($1 = RMB 7.3002)
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