GWM says Australia isn’t ready for electric utes

Australians aren’t ready for a battery-electric ute, according to GWM , which is focusing instead on what it sees as more popular plug-in hybrid and diesel powertrains.

GWM has just launched its new-generation 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine in the flagship Cannon Alpha dual-cab ute and the large Tank 500 off-road SUV.

The Cannon Alpha is also available with a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain, but GWM’s PHEV ute range will expand in mid-October with the arrival of an Hi4-T version of the smaller Cannon , offered at a promotional price of $47,990 drive-away for Australian Business Number (ABN) holders until October 31, 2026.

That will make it Australia’s cheapest PHEV ute, undercutting the JAC Hunter PHEV , BYD Shark 6 and Ford Ranger PHEV .

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Speaking at the Everything Electric motor show in Sydney, GWM Australia and New Zealand chief operating officer John Kett said the Australian market is not ready for a battery-electric ute.

“We certainly know from a ute perspective that the market is shifting towards plug-in hybrid,” Mr Kett said.

“We’re super-confident that Hi4-T [plug-in hybrid] technology is, in terms of how those vehicles are used, the best proposition if you’re transitioning from diesel into alternative fuel.”

That’s despite GWM showing a battery-electric Cannon concept as far back as 2019, which has not reached local showrooms.

Since then, several electric utes have gone on sale in Australia, starting with the LDV eT60 in 2022, followed by the KGM Musso EV , and now the Toyota HiLux BEV .

At Everything Electric last week, MG revealed a battery-electric version of its U9 dual-cab ute. It could be followed by the LDV eTerron 9 , with which it shares core components, although LDV has not yet locked in a local release date for Australia.

An Isuzu D-Max EV has also been promised for Australia, although its previously planned March 2026 launch never eventuated.

While EVs achieved a record 24.9 per cent market share in August, electric ute sales remain relatively modest. Toyota said in July that it had sold around 300 HiLux BEVs since the model’s May launch, which would make it the nation's most popular EV ute.

Meanwhile, GWM’s PHEV strategy centres on the Cannon Hi4-T, which combines a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor integrated into a nine-speed automatic transmission, producing combined outputs of 310kW and 750Nm.