GWM is heading back to the Taklimakan Rally in 2026, fielding the Tank 700 Hi4-T, Tank 300 Hi4-T and Tank 500 Hi4-Z across nearly 8000km of some of China’s most demanding terrain.

The 2026 event runs May 16 to June 3 through Xinjiang, with around 4200km of timed special stages spread across 15 stages and seven campsites. This year adds an ultra-long marathon stage for the first time, with the route crossing desert, Gobi terrain and wind-carved yardang formations. Roughly 60 per cent of the course is desert running.

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GWM’s factory program will use the event as a development platform for its Hi4 electrified off-road architectures, testing both hybrid and combustion-based systems under sustained rally-raid conditions. Durability, efficiency and systems integration are the focus, not outright pace, which makes the Taklimakan a logical fit. Few events hit electrified drivetrains harder than a multi-week, multi-thousand-kilometre raid through Central Asian desert and rock.

The Hi4-T pairs a 2.0‑litre turbo-petrol engine with a 120kW electric motor, delivering 300kW and 750Nm. Power feeds a mechanical 4WD system with low-range transfer case and front and rear locking differentials, retaining full off-road capability.

The brand took category honours at last year’s Taklimakan and has been leaning into the rally as a testbed for its next generation of off-road platforms. A recent event at GWM’s Baoding headquarters put a four-driver international line-up on display alongside the brand’s broader motorsport direction, giving some shape to what the 2026 campaign will look like behind the wheel.

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The longer game is Dakar. GWM has flagged a planned return to international rally-raid competition from 2027, and the Taklimakan program is the technical groundwork that gets the brand there.

Last month, GWM confirmed that the upcoming Tank 700 will be offered with a V8 powertrain, marking a significant shift for the flagship SUV as it moves beyond its current 3.0-litre V6-based hybrid setup. The announcement was made at the Beijing Auto Show, where chairman Jack Wei indicated the V8 program was developed with global markets in mind, including Australia and New Zealand.

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