The new GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV has been detailed in Australia. So, could this 300 kW plug-in bakkie be on the cards for South Africa as the GWM P500 PHEV?
Pre-orders for the new GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV have opened in fellow right-hand-drive market Australia. Why is this potentially significant for South Africa? Well, should this plug-in hybrid bakkie be approved for Mzansi, we’d likely see it here as the GWM P500 PHEV.
UPDATE: During its dealer awards event at the Sandton Convention Centre in Gauteng in late February 2025, GWM South Africa confirmed plans to offer the P500 HEV locally. Launch timing, however, has yet to be announced.
As a reminder, the P500 launched locally in August 2024 and is currently available with either the Chinese firm’s 2.4-litre turbodiesel engine or a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol-hybrid powertrain generating 255 kW and 648 Nm.
In contrast, the latest version of GWM’s big bakkie combines a plug-in hybrid system with the turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol motor. As now confirmed by the automaker’s division Down Under, this PHEV set-up delivers total peak outputs as high as 300 kW and 750 Nm.
Of course, whether the freshly detailed P500 plug-in derivative is indeed being lined up for South Africa remains to be seen (we’ve asked GWM SA but have yet to hear back). Still, it’s worth keeping in mind such a model’s final landed price – which would likely be well over the P500 HEV’s current R999 990 figure – would play a key role in any decision.
Indeed, as Desmond Els, Sales Director at GWM SA, explained to Cars.co.za during a podcast interview in October 2024: “When it comes to [PHEV in] the South African market, it’s all about cost. It’s a price-sensitive cost introduction that you need to be very considerate about”.
But back to the vehicle at hand. Paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission as standard, GWM says the new Hi4T powertrain offers “up to 110 km” of fully electric driving range (courtesy of its 37.1 kWh ternary lithium battery), resulting in a combined claimed range of 880 km. The corresponding claimed combined fuel economy comes in at just 1.7 L/100 km, though that’s using the optimistic NEDC system.
Braked towing capacity is listed as 3 500 kg, while GWM claims a water-wading depth of 800 mm and a ground clearance of 224 mm. However, the bakkie’s listed payload falls to 685 kg (down from the P500 HEV’s 735 kg and the P500 2.4TD’s 760 kg). The Australian-spec model features front, rear and centre locking differentials, a raft of terrain modes and selectable low-range gearing.
Interestingly, the new BYD Shark (320 kW and 650 Nm) is scheduled to launch in South Africa in March 2025 and thus looks set to arrive as Mzansi’s very first PHEV bakkie, beating both Ford’s upcoming electrified Ranger (which is technically not yet confirmed for SA despite the fact it will be built here) and the GWM P500 PHEV to the punch.
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