Great Wall reveals next-generation ute

• All-new Great Wall ute expected to land in 2020
• Level 3 autonomy and 5G connectivity included
• Petrol and diesel engines available
• Expected to start from below $30,000
• Gallery above

UPDATED - Great Wall has introduced its next-generation pick-up range at the Shanghai Motor Show that it claims brings new levels of comfort and technology to the light commercial segment.

Despite a few false starts in Australia, the company - which sold 800,000 SUVs in China last year - believes its next generation of ute will able to compete with established players like the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton.

Offering three main variants - Commercial, Passenger and 4WD Recreational - the 2020 Great Wall Model P rides on the Chinese carmaker’s new P71 platform, which it will share with the next generation Haval H9 large 4WD SUV, and features multilink rear suspension in the Passenger and 4WD Recreational model, with leaf springs underneath the Commercial.

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New ute is expected to switch to coils and multilink on some model

Power will come from a choice of 120kW/360Nm 2.0-litre turbo petrol and 145kW turbo Diesel engine which will produce up to 400Nm of torque. They’ll be coupled to a manual gearbox or eight-speed auto.

Great Wall’s platform director Jiaming Zhang said the company is also working on bigger petrol and diesel engines, with the latter producing up to 500Nm.

Great Wall hasn’t revealed fuel economy figures, either, but Zhang said it meets Euro 6D emission standards, while the 80-litre fuel tank will help ensure a decent range.

The company has also revealed a pre-production version of an all-electric ute (below) for the Chinese market that will go on sale later this year with a claimed 500km range, though there is no detail on how payload will affect that range.

The EV ute will eventually be available in overseas markets and is already under consideration for Australia.

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A hydrogen version for the commercial variant is also in the works.

The Model P - which will likely have a different name in overseas markets, including Australia - also features what Great Walls says is level 3 autonomy, as well as 5G-capable connectivity with voice recognition.

The Model P range will include long and short wheelbase dual cab versions, as well as a single cab model. Payload on the multilink suspension versions will be just 500kg, with towing capacity at 3500kg across the range.

The 4WD Recreational pick-up revealed today (below) is also a pre-production concept. However, Great Wall design director Morio Ikeda told WhichCar that the car on display at the Shanghai show is about 95 percent of the finished product, apart from a couple of minor design tweaks.

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It will arrive standard with all the garnishes, too, including a roof rack, winch and snorkel which have all been produced in-house.

The 2020 Great Wall Model P will go on sale in China in September this year. It’s not expected to arrive in Australia until late in 2020. Pricing and specifications will be revealed closer to launch, with the mid-spec but plush Passenger variant expected to start at $35,000.