Get ready for another big bold pick-up truck to join Australia’s growing stable of US-style workhorses.
And this time, it’s not coming from one of the ‘Big Three’ brands from the United States – it is the GWM King Kong Cannon from China.
While the company hasn’t officially confirmed the King Kong Cannon, it’s believed that the new offering is all but signed off for an Australian launch.
“It is something that we are considering. The final decision on that one has not yet been made. We continue to work with the head office colleagues on the business case for that,” GWM Australia head of marketing Steve Maciver told CarsGuide recently.
The big and burly workhorse will sit above the GWM Ute – in size and price – in the Australian line-up.
According to reports, it measures 5635mm long, 1880mm wide and 1815mm tall, with a 3410mm wheelbase, compared with 5410mm/1934mm/1886mm for the existing Ute.
It also has a larger tray that measures stretching 1820mm x 1500mm x 495mm.
Those measurements are larger than most mainstream offerings in the medium pick-up segment that’s dominated by the Toyota HiLux, but the King King is also slightly smaller than the likes of the RAM 1500, Chevrolet Silverado and the forthcoming Ford F-150 that it will likely compete with.
When compared with the Ram, it is 181mm shorter, 137mm narrower and 102mm lower.
With that in mind, it could occupy a unique part of the ute segment all its own, potentially taking sales from the mid-size and full-size offerings.
In China at least it will be offered with a choice of a 2.0-litre petrol or a 2.0-litre diesel engine.
Timing is unclear, but given it was spied testing on Australian roads in camouflage, it could well hit local GWM dealerships either in 2023 or 2024.
If it’s in the first half of next year, then it will beat the F-150 to market. That model is expected mid-2023. The F-150 is being imported from North American and converted to right-hand drive by RMA Automotive.
Pricing is also a mystery, but given GWM’s focus on value for money, it’s unlikely to reach the heights of the pricey full-size cohort. The Ram 1500 is priced from $82,950 before on-road costs and tops out at a tick under $200,000, while the Chevrolet Silverado starts from $121,000.
The GWM Ute on the other hand ranges in price from $34,990 to $44,490. The incredibly extensive HiLux dual-cab range runs from $33,705 to $70,750.
One more element of uncertainty is the name. Will Great Wall Motors hold onto the slightly zany King Kong Cannon nameplate, or opt for a less Hollywood badge? We will have to wait and see.
Whatever happens, GWM will have its work cut out for it with two utes competing in the ultra-competitive segment.
It is dominated by the HiLux which is Australia’s top-selling model by a country mile. So far this year, Toyota has already sold 38,412 examples of its HiLux, not to mention the nearly 7000 LandCruiser 70 Series’ it’s sold.
In the battle of the big Americans, the Ram 1500 is well ahead with 2580 sales to the end of July this year, compared with 729 Silverados. However, the Chevy is only available in two grades while the Ram has eight variants.
Keyword: Will GWM's RAM 1500-rivalling King Kong Cannon beat the Ford F-150 to market in Australia? Pick-up truck battle looms as China's GWM takes on America