GWM bets on new diesel to become a top-five brand in Australia

GWM Australia says adding a new 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel to its lineup is no backward step, arguing the engine will help it reach its goal of becoming a top-five brand by 2027.

The new diesel is being introduced in the Tank 500 off-road SUV and Cannon Alpha ute as electric vehicles (EVs) reach record market share in Australia.

More than 27,000 EVs were sold in August 2026, exceeding sales of petrol-powered vehicles (25,824) and diesels (23,608) for the first time. A year earlier, EV sales totalled 10,033, compared with 38,315 petrol vehicles and 30,459 diesels.

Hybrid sales rose from 17,381 in August 2025 to 18,662 in August 2026, while plug-in hybrid (PHEV) sales climbed from 3906 to 10,591.

Against that backdrop, introducing a new diesel might appear to go against the grain.

GWM’s engine, which features Bosch common-rail fuel injection, produces 170kW and 620Nm, with peak torque available from 1400rpm to 2400rpm. But the new engine isn't mated with a mild-hybrid or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) system, despite electrified utes becoming increasingly common in Australia – including Hi4-T PHEV versions of the Cannon and Cannon Alpha.

“I don't know if it's a bit late. I think for us, because we are trying to find a spot for each one of our products to drive towards our volume ambition,” GWM Australia and New Zealand chief operating officer John Kett told CarExpert.

“We know, certainly from a ute perspective, that the market is shifting towards plug-in hybrid … but when we think about diesel, it’s still 70, 75 per cent of the market.

“So in the Tank segment, where we just launched the 3.0-litre diesel for Tank 500, the body-on-frame segment is also still 70 to 75 per cent diesel. It's shrinking, but that's some critical mass that we don't get much of a share of.

“The same in the ute space; it’s still 70 to 75 per cent diesel, and as it's shrinking, we feel like it'll bring greater visibility or amplification of the incredible product offering we have with Cannon Alpha 3.0-litre diesel.

“So we’re going to keep positioning ourselves that way. And I have absolutely no doubt that even if we sold 200 or 300 a month, and the opportunity is better from a Cannon Alpha 3.0-litre diesel, we’re going to grow volume.”

Mr Kett said the diesel, alongside the Cannon PHEV dual-cab ute, would help GWM reach its top-five goal, with a long-term aim of being in the top three.

GWM ranked seventh in August 2026 and also sits seventh year-to-date, with 39,747 sales, up 15.6 per cent.

It's ahead of Tesla, which has recorded 36,051 sales year-to-date, up 100.4 per cent. The Tesla Model Y was Australia’s best-selling vehicle in August, the third month it has topped the monthly sales chart this year.

Hyundai is immediately ahead of GWM, with an 11,189-sale lead despite being down 2.0 per cent year-on-year. Fifth-placed Mazda has recorded 53,163 sales, down 15.9 per cent.

“To get to top five, we know that we have to be, say, 75,000 [sales]. Top three is 90,000, so that’s our north star,” Mr Kett said.

“We can’t call ourselves a top five player unless we get into the top five selling of utes. It needs to be around 1500 a month in total utes.”

GWM delivered 827 utes in August. Its July total was 778, down from 1171 in June.

“Our last two months we’ve been 600 or 700, largely because we’ve run out of or we've sold through all of our Cannon Alpha Hi4-Ts, and we had to dial back our 2.4-litre Cannon diesels.”

Combining each brand’s ute models, GWM ranked sixth in August. Toyota led with 4989 sales across the HiLux, LandCruiser 70 Series and Tundra utes, followed by Ford with 2592 Rangers and F-150s.

Isuzu sold 1708 D-Maxes, BYD sold 1385 Shark 6s and Mitsubishi sold 1161 Tritons. Each of those three brands offers only one ute model.

“We’ve got 3.0-litre diesels coming in Cannon Alpha, we’ve got Cannon Alpha Hi4-T coming in supply that's meeting demand, so I have no doubt for us that we would expect this car to maybe deliver 400 or 500 a month, minimum," Mr Kett said.

“I think the 3.0-litre diesel will give us 200, and I think we'll be 1500, and we’ll be able to say we are a top five player, if not better, in the ute space in Australia.”

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