• The updated Tank 500 secured 12,257 firm orders within two hours of its launch.
• The updated Tank 500 starts at RMB 335,000 ($46,820), lower than the RMB 360,000 pre-sales price announced earlier this month.

Great Wall Motor's (GWM) Tank brand has launched the updated Tank 500 SUV (sport utility vehicle), refreshing one of its most important models.

The automaker officially rolled out the hybrid model at a launch event yesterday, with a starting price of RMB 335,000 ($46,820). This represents a reduction of RMB 25,000, or 6.94 percent, from the RMB 360,000 pre-sales price announced earlier this month.

Tank offers two Tank 500 Hi4-T variants and one Tank 500 Hi4-Z variant for this off-road SUV, priced at RMB 335,000, RMB 355,000, and RMB 375,000 respectively.

The updated Tank 500 measures 5,078 mm in length, 1,934 mm in width, and 1,905 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,850 mm -- unchanged from its predecessor.

Both Hi4-T and Hi4-Z variants feature a plug-in hybrid powertrain combining a 2.0L engine with an electric motor. The engine delivers a maximum power output of 180 kW and peak torque of 380 Nm.

The Tank 500 Hi4-T features a single electric motor with 130 kW maximum power. Its combined powertrain output is 310 kW, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds.

Both Hi4-T variants are equipped with a 37.1-kWh ternary lithium battery pack, delivering a WLTC battery range of 110 km and a combined range of 900 km.

The Tank 500 Hi4-Z features dual motors with a combined system output of 635 kW, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds. It carries a 59.05-kWh ternary lithium battery pack, delivering a WLTC battery range of 201 km and a combined range of 1,096 km.

The updated Tank 500 adds LiDAR to its two higher-priced variants and incorporates Great Wall Motor's third-generation Coffee Pilot Ultra advanced driver assistance system.

The Coffee Pilot Ultra system's sensor suite includes one 128-channel LiDAR, three millimeter-wave radars, twelve ultrasonic radars, and eleven high-definition cameras.

Powered by Nvidia's Orin-X AI chip, it enables full-scenario NOA navigation without high-definition maps, memory parking, and automated parking.

Beyond these three hybrid variants, Tank offers a gasoline-powered version equipped with a 3.0T V6 engine, starting at RMB 355,000.

The updated Tank 500 secured 12,257 firm orders within two hours of its launch, the brand announced.

The Tank brand sold 20,020 vehicles in July, marking a 7.16 percent year-on-year increase and contributing 19.18 percent to GWM's monthly sales, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.

From January to July, the Tank brand sold 123,680 vehicles, representing an 8.19 percent year-on-year decrease.

($1 = RMB 7.1543)