Most powerful production Tank model ever made has, for the moment, not been given approval for South Africa.
Great Wall Motors (GWM) has removed the wraps from its powerful SUV to date in the shape of its Tank brand’s 500 Hi4-Z.
Positioned as the flagship 500 model above the conventional petrol, HEV hybrid and the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Hi4-T, the Hi4-Z builds on the PHEV tech of the latter introduced in China earlier this year, but with the inclusion of a second electric motor and bigger battery pack.
Hi4-T vs Hi4-Z
Still build around the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine that powers the South African-market hybrid-only Tank 500, the configuration, in the Hi4-T, eschews the conventional hybrid hardware for a 37.1-kWh battery pack powering a front-mounted 120kW/400Nm electric motor.
Combined, the system develops 300kW/750Nm that goes to all four wheels through a hybrid-optimised nine-speed automatic gearbox.
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Able to travel 110 km according to China’s CLTC measurements, the Hi4-T has claimed combined range of 950 km and according to GWM press material, requires a waiting time of 24 minutes from 30-80% using an up to 50 kW fast charger.
Debuting with a solitary trim grade priced at 379 800 yuan (R943 445), the Hi4-Z uses the same combustion engine as the Hi4-T, but receives a 59-kWh battery in addition to the pair of electric motors.
Mated to a three-speed DHT or Dedicated Hybrid Transmission, the combined output amounts to 654kW/1 195 Nm, which GWM claims will propel it from 0-100 km/h in 4.5 seconds.
Supporting charging up to 163 kW, the Hi4-Z has a claimed all-electric range of 201 km and a combined total of 1 096 km in conjunction with the petrol engine.
As a comparison, the most powerful combustion engine model, the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6, makes 265kW/355Nm while the HEV develops 258kW/648Nm from its combination of the 2.0-litre-petrol and a 78kW/268Nm electric motor.
Only for the homeland for now
Outfitted with the same off-road hardware as the rest of the Tank 500, including 210 mm of ground clearance, the Hi4-Z remains bespoke to China for now with exportation plans to key markets being unknown.
Additional information from carsnewschina.com and autohome.com.cn.
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