Are you ready for an electric ute from China?
Thursday, 4 April 2019
Does an all-electric one-tonne utility make sense?
That's a question Great Wall Motors seems set to answer, and in doing so might well become the first utility maker to take the electric highway in New Zealand.
Along with releasing images of an aggressive 'Adventure' edition of the new generation double cab one-tonner to replace the current Steed utility next year, the Chinese car maker has let slip that it also has a wholly battery-propelled variant set to be unveiled at the Shanghai motor show.
So far GWM has only indicated the EV will have a range of 500km. It is not clear whether the EV draws off the Adventure or an Urban Spec edition also planned for NZ-market release next year.
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Conceivably, it would be the latter; creating a road-bound EV delivers a whole lot fewer challenges than devising one to survive in the wild.
When the model is available for export has not been answered, but comment attributed to the Australasian distributor leaves impression that the 'if' aspect has been sorted.
GWM looks set to trump more successful players in the local one-tonne sector by at least entering the EV-sphere. It's a place every other ute brand represented here has steered well clear of.
The only big name in the game that has indicated thought about electrifying a ute has been Mitsubishi, with the Triton, but even then it has avoided being too specific. Also, they've tended to express thought that a plug-in hybrid drivetrain, as with the Outlander, might be more practical.
Meantime, GWM is already talking tough about the Adventure, claiming it will offer 'segment leading four-wheel-drive capabilities'.
How so? Remarkably, the production edition will not only deliver a seven setting All-Terrain Control System but also has three diff locks and a feature you generally have to purchase from an after-market specialist: a built-in winch.
The new ute shares its underpinnings with the H9 SUV, from sister brand Haval, that came on sale in New Zealand last year.
Though only a doublecab has been shown, there will be a single cab and a choice of long- and short wheelbases.
The powerplant is still a mystery – pundits suggest it's a four-cylinder, either the 2.0-litre turbodiesel that has served in the H9 or a new like-capacity turbocharged petrol plug-in hybrid. It'll drive through an eight-speed gearbox.
The long wheelbase model is said to be significantly larger than the Steed and will also stand taller. So lofty that GWM is claiming a fording depth of 900mm – which would be class-leading.
The ute will be built at a billion-dollar facility in Yangchuan alongside a refreshed H9.