Off-road-ready GWM P-Series returning with P500’s diesel heart

With the wraps having come off of the facelift Great Wall Motors (GWM) P-Series two months ago, the off-road focused Cannon Off-Road variant has emerged online in China in Australian specification.

Cannon for Aus, P-Series LTD for RSA?

Brandishing the moniker used Down Under rather than the domestic model’s Poer naming, the single image shows the Off-Road as having the same grille as the regular facelift P-Series/Poer, but with a grey surround instead of chrome, plus a mesh internal pattern grille complete with a single chrome logo bar.

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Along with a chunkier bumper and a snorkel, the Cannon Off-Road boasts all-terrain tyres, black cladding around the wheel arches, wider side-steps, a sports bar and roof rails.

Similar, therefore, to the outgoing model, known locally as the P-Series Limited Edition, the image, posted by ithome.com, doesn’t show the rear facia or the interior, although it does speculate the cabin as being unchanged design-wise from the regular Poer/Cannon.

What is known

Expected tech is likely to include the new 12.3-inch infotainment system and seven-inch digital instrument cluster, the centre console modelled on the Shanhai Cannon soon to arrive in South Africa as the P500, and Level 2 autonomous driving systems.

According to the related report by carnewschina.com, additional items are set to include a 50-watt wireless smartphone charger, electric front seats and a revised 360-degree surround-view camera system.

As for power, the Cannon Off-Road retains the 2.4-litre turbodiesel engine from the standard Poer with outputs of 135kW/480Nm.

Used on the Shanhai Cannon/P500 and soon underneath the bonnet of the Tank 300, the oil-burner develops 15kW/80Nm more than the current 2.0-litre and is mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox.

South Africa unconfirmed

Already conforming to Australia’s ANCAP crash requirements, where a five-star rating is said to have been obtained, the Cannon Off-Road has, at present, not been priced in due part to the 2.4-litre engine not being available Down Under.

For reference, pricing for the flagship Cannon-X with the existing 2.0-litre starts at $44 490 (R535 493), which will go up significantly once the standard model with the 2.4 arrives.

Locally, both the Off-Road and 2.4-litre engine remain unconfirmed, most likely as a result of focus being on the imminent launch of the P500.

Should approval be given though, expect a market release to potentially happen either in the final stages of the year or in early 2025.

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