Something is unraveling with GWM and the Cannon pickup truck.

When it was first launched, it had a 2.0-liter turbodiesel under the hood. The current 4x4 units in the country, meanwhile, now have bigger 2.4-liter turbodiesel units with more power. In its home market, GWM even has one with a 3.0-liter turbo V6 under the hood. But now, GWM wants to show the world the Cannon’s platform is also capable of handling an electrified powertrain.

Based on the recent regulatory filings in the China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, GWM is looking to add a plug-in hybrid version of the Cannon, combining the pickup truck’s capability to haul and the benefits of having an electrified powertrain when it comes to efficiency.

On the outside, the GWM Cannon PHEV follows the look of the Pilot variant that we have in the Philippines, wearing a polygonal front grille and devoid of exterior trims such as fender flares and roof rails. It seems to be designed more for utility as the filing features the extended length version, which measures 5653mm in length, 1883mm in width, and 1882mm in height.

While GWM already has the Hi-4 PHEV powertrains in models like the Tank 400 and the bigger Cannon Alpha pickup truck, the Cannon is getting its own 2.0-liter PHEV, which makes 252 PS. The battery, on the other hand, will be a lithium iron phosphate or LFP with a yet-to-be-disclosed capacity.

When launched, the GWM Cannon PHEV could potentially go up against the likes of the Ford Ranger PHEV and the BYD Shark 6. But considering that diesel versions are preferred locally, we might see GWM Philippines stick to that unless demand for PHEV trucks picks up (no pun intended) in the country.

Source: CarNewsChina