Great Wall Motors (GWM) has provided official power and torque details of its much-vaunted 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel engine, albeit with an unexpected catch.
Six becomes four
Confirmed to power the P500 and Tank 500 in South Africa, the unit has, however, been reconfigured to a four-cylinder layout, instead of six.
A similar layout, therefore, to the Isuzu D-Max and MU-X, the big displacement oil-burner will sit above the 2.4-litre unit already available in all three models.
Announced at the Beijing Motor Show last week, the engine develops 170kW/620Nm and as with the 2.4, is paired to a nine-speed automatic gearbox.
This makes it 14 kW down on the 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 used in the Ford Ranger, Everest and Volkswagen Amarok, but torquier by 20 Nm.
Coming this year
Back in March, GWM South Africa confirmed that the then V6 mill will be fast-tracked for introduction this year instead of 2027 as initially believed.
Its introduction in the P-Series as an alternative to the self-charging 2.0-litre hybrid seemingly means the end of the plug-in hybrid option approved for the local market last year.
In the Tank 500 range, it will sit above the same 2.0-litre hybrid used in the P500 in finally providing a second powertrain option.
As in Australia, the 3.0-litre will not be offered in the Tank 300. Instead, a plug-in hybrid option, under the Hi-4T banner, will be introduced, producing a combined 300kW/750Nm.
Stay tuned
According to carexpert.com.au, the roll-out of the 3.0-litre in the Tank 500 and P-Series, where it carries the Cannon Alpha name, will take place between July and September.
While GWM South Africa has remained mum on the diesel’s arrival, expect an announcement, possibly, around the same time, or after its debut Down Under.
