GWM’s New V8 Engine Revealed: What the Media Got Wrong

Alright, let’s clear up some facts about GWM’s V8 engine reveal.

There’s been a lot of misleading reporting floating around — mainly from outlets that missed the live broadcast at the Shanghai Auto Show from GWMs CEO. It’s a strange world when even the leading automotive experts can miss the simple facts.

First, the ‘Hooke Edition’ or the 'Hook Edition' Tank 300 that was on shown at the Shanghai Auto Show will not feature the new V8. That particular model will be equipped with a 3.0L V6. Some auto experts are even claiming the blue/white coloured Tank 300 that displayed the stair climbing event was also the V8, this model was the Hi4-T edition, clearly shown on the vehicle as well.

GWM confirmed that the new V8 will be be slated for future flagship models under the Tank brand, but for now, it's primarily aimed at GWM’s new luxury division — focusing on high-end sedans and sports cars.

The engine itself is a fully in-house development by GWM, taking multiple years to complete, with over 50,000 hours of durability testing. It’s engineered to operate efficiently even in extreme temperatures as low as -40°C (not that it matters in Aus).

Technical Highlights:

- Cast iron block with aluminium heads

- Hot-V configuration with variable geometry turbos (VGT) for improved intake efficiency and reduced turbo lag, down as low as 0.3 seconds.

- Double-layer water jacket

- Output: 549hp and 770Nm , 4.0 litres

- Fuel consumption: 13L/100km (ICE only, no hybrid)

- 100% compatible with BorgWarner’s P2 module — allowing a plug-in hybrid setup exceeding 600hp

- Hybrid configuration will offer 200km+ of pure electric range