Great Wall Motor to spin off TANK series into standalone brand

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Great Wall Motor (GWM) is about to separate the TANK series from its premium SUV brand WEY, aiming to develop TANK as a standalone off-road vehicle marque, Wei Jianjun, chairman of GWM, said at the China Automotive Innovation Conference (AII) on March 21. The decision will be announced at the Auto China 2021 to be held next month.

GWM applied for trademark registration for TANK in December 2020, according to the Trademark Office of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), sparking the industry's speculation that TANK would be spun off into an independent brand parallel with Haval, WEY, GWM POER Pickup and ORA.

Photo credit: CNIPA

According to the TANK logo identification exposed by the CNIPA, the logo delivers a three-dimensional effect and features a matrix shape. Under the T-shaped upper stereo are the letters “TANK”. The overall sculpture design is also characterized by silver and some gradient coating effects, exuding sense of power and strength.

TANK 300; photo credit: WEY

The WEY-branded TANK 300, the first model from TANK series, went on sale in mid-December 2020. The Tank 300 appears to be a rugged off-roader, built on a ladder-frame chassis. Coming with three variants, the body-on-chassis SUV rides on the “TANK·WEY” platform. They all carry 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, matched to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, sending power to all four wheels.

According to the CNIPA, GWM has filed for the trademark registration for another two TANK models—the TANK 600 and the TANK 900. The TANK 600 is likely to be produced at GWM's Jingmen plant from October 2021, according to a previous local report.