The recent addition of turbodiesel power to the GWM Tank 300 range has seemingly already resulted in a spike in SA sales, with the boxy SUV hitting a new high in March 2025…
Early in March 2025, the GWM Tank 300 range in South Africa welcomed a pair of new 2.4TD derivatives, finally bringing turbodiesel power to the local line-up. And, based on the latest sales figures, that move already appears to be paying dividends.
In March 2025, local registrations of the Tank 300 increased 77.6% month on month to 103 units, marking the first time this Chinese ladder-frame SUV has breached the 3-figure mark. For the record, 11 of those sales were so-called “single registrations” (that is, vehicles GWM kept and licensed for its own use).
Though Naamsa’s sales dataset unfortunately does not provide a breakdown by model derivative or indeed engine, there’s little doubt the long-awaited arrival of a turbodiesel motor drove this fresh growth. And, considering the oil-burning derivatives reached local dealers only towards the end of the first week of March, there’s every chance we’ll see a further spike in months to come.
As a reminder, the recent arrival of these 2 new turbodiesel derivatives resulted in the Tank 300 portfolio – which previosuly included only turbopetrol and hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) powertrains – expanding to 6 variants. And, rather interestingly, the base 2.4TD variant saw the line-up’s entry price lowered by R26 050.
As with the turbopetrol and HEV powertrains, the new turbodiesel motor is offered in the familiar Super Luxury and Ultra Luxury grades. The Tank 300 2.4TD Super Luxury 4×4 is priced at R699 900, while the Tank 300 2.4TD Ultra Luxury 4×4 comes in at R739 900.
In the Tank 300, the new 2.4-litre, 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine (codenamed GW4D24) – which debuted locally in the P500 bakkie in August 2024 and has since been rolled out to the P300 line-up, too – generates peak outputs of 135 kW (at 3 600 r/min) and 480 Nm (at 2 500 r/min). Drive is delivered to all 4 corners via a 9-speed automatic transmission as standard.
The listed fuel-economy figure for the Tank 300 2.4TD powertrain comes in at 7.7 L/100 km, which compares favourably with the turbopetrol and HEV claims of 9.5 L/100 km and 8.4 L/100 km, respectively. Interestingly, the new diesel derivatives roll on all-terrain tyres (265/65 R17 for the Super Luxury and 265/60 R18 for the Ultra Luxury) rather than the “highway terrain” rubber used by the other variants.
In 2024, GWM registered 526 units of the Tank 300 in South Africa, with a further 41 units sold in January 2025 and 58 examples in February 2025. Before March 2025’s 103-unit haul, the Tank 300’s monthly high was 62 sales, achieved in August last year.
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