2024 GWM Cannon Alpha: Bigger ute coming to Australia with hybrid & diesel power

The GWM Shanhai Cannon dual-cab ute, revealed in 2022, will finally reach Australia as the GWM Cannon Alpha in mid 2024.

That timing will make the Cannon Alpha the first hybrid ute in Australia, beating the new Ford Ranger PHEV to market by a few months at least, along with others like the hybrid HiLux and the recently teased BYD plug-in hybrid ute.

As a big brother to the Cannon already sold in Australia, the Cannon Alpha measures 5440mm long (+30mm over the Cannon), 1991mm wide (+57mm) and 1924mm tall (+38mm), rolling on a 3350mm wheelbase (+120mm).

Ford’s F-150 remains a bigger unit, with a 3694mm wheelbase in its SWB form, but the Cannon could prove a welcome ‘in between’ option.

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In China, the big ‘Shanhai Cannon’ is offered with a 260kW/500Nm petrol V6 or a 135kW/480Nm 2.4-litre turbo-diesel four – and it’s the latter we’ll get in Australia.

Of more interest to some buyers, however, might be the other option we’ll be offered: a 2.0-litre turbo petrol hybrid engine, its combustion and electric motors combining to deliver 255kW and a huge 648Nm. On their own, the motors produce 180kW/380Nm and 78kW/269Nm respectively.

Keen readers will recognise this as the same mill that powers the related GWM Tank 500, which made its Australian debut in March – which means you can read 4X4 Australia’s take on that petrol-electric hybrid system at the story linked below.

🔼 “The hybrid system is seamless and something the driver doesn’t need to consider. It has a few modes to suit the driving you do including a Sport mode, which cuts back on the off-throttle power regeneration. In Normal/Eco mode you really feel the deceleration of system-regenerating energy.”

Both the diesel and the petrol hybrid engine are mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission developed in-house, and GWM quotes a braked towing capacity of 3500kg for both powertrains.

Like the Tank 500, the Cannon Alpha offers three driving modes, along with locking front and rear differentials with a Borg Warner full-time, dual-range transfer case.

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Apart from its size and power, the Cannon Alpha sets itself further apart from the smaller Canon with a 60/40 split-opening tailgate that can also drop – with a ‘soft open’ function – in the usual fashion.

Inside, the GWM Cannon Alpha features a massive 14.6-inch main screen and a 12.3-inch driver display, along with 10-speaker Infinity audio, wireless phone charging, and heated/ventilated/massaging front seats trimmed with Nappa leather in higher-grade models.

Full details will be released in the lead-up to the Cannon Alpha’s mid-2024 Australian launch.

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Click the photo below for our full gallery

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