Motoring Chinese on-road value

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| Nick Dalton

TWO new releases from GWM (Great Wall Motors) are expected to rev up the car market in Cairns.

Coming are the all-electric GWM Ora and the GWM Tank four-wheel-drive wagon.

Cairns GWM Haval dealerprincipal Alan Ren said you couldn’t imagine a more unlikely pair of siblings.

“On one hand, the GWM Ora promises to be the cheapest fully electric vehicle in Australia (from $46,114 drive away) and comes in a pint-sized package that oozes classic style with a range of up to 420km,” he said. Similar in size and shape to a Fiat 500 or VW Golf, the GWM Ora is “surprisingly spacious … well appointed and undeniably unique,” according to drive.com. au. It’s also got a 5-star ANCAP safety rating, wireless charging, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto.

“GWM Ora will offer more choices to Cairns consumers looking to switch to an electric vehicle, its retro design is a refreshing change to the futurist designs of most electric cars on the market,” Mr Ren said.

“Tipping the scale entirely in the other direction, the GWM Tank 300 promises to battle it out with long-time off-road favourites like the Land Rover Discovery and Jeep Wrangler –but in typical GWM fashion, enters the market around $20,000 cheaper (from $55,990) than its competition,” he said.

“In overseas market, the Tank model has already earned a reputation as the leader in the offroad vehicle segment. Tank will provide customers with a luxury off-road experience.

“With off-road capabilities such as a ‘tank-turn’ feature that applies the brakes to the inside rear wheel on loose surfaces to allow for extra tight turns and maximum manoeuvrability, and a ‘transparent chassis’ function on the camera that lets you see the ground beneath your seat in real time, the Tank promises to make tricky off-road challenges a breeze.

“Like the Cannon Ute, the GWM Tank’s rugged exterior and off-road capabilities hide a luxurious interior packed with technology, nappa leather and heated seats in the top of the range model, wireless charging and more.

“The GWM Tank also earnt a 5-star ANCAP safety rating and comes with a dual-tech hybrid engine, utilising battery regen- eration and maximising fuel efficiency while still packing a turbo petrol punch.

“While the GWM Ora and GWM Tank are seriously exciting additions to the market, their older brother is no slouch either. The GWM Cannon Ute has proven to be very popular in the Far North Queensland market since its introduction to Australia a couple of years ago.

“The Cannon is a real offroader, a luxurious drive and ground-breaking technology, all in one of the cheapest dual-cab utes available (from $33,990).

“GWM’s latest vehicles are ambitious and unique, really competitively priced, and we expect them to be just as successful as the Cannon Ute has been.”

Cairns GWM Haval is on the corner of Mulgrave Road and Lyons St, Cairns – part of the Cairns Cars Auto Group.