GWM Trademarks ‘Cannon Alpha’ Name In Australia

GWM reportedly trademarked a new 'Cannon Alpha' name in Australia, likely for use to market the Cannon Shanhai model pictured.

As we’ve noted recently, Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor (GWM) boasts a respectably wide portfolio of sub-brands. As a refresher, names like ORA, TANK, WEY, and Cannon are amongst them. Given recent reports from Australia though, said portfolio seems poised to grow further too.

That’s because GWM has successfully trademarked a new ‘Cannon Alpha’ naming in Australia, reports CarExpert. This new sub-brand, according to its report, could be used to market the upcoming Cannon Shanhai premium 4x4 pick-up truck model as early as the first quarter (Q1) of 2024 too.

Unlike the regular Cannon Ultra, the Cannon Shanhai is a slightly larger but more premium and up-market version that packs a peppy hybrid turbo-diesel powertrain.

Positioned as a more up-market flavour of its singanture Cannon pick-up truck model, the Cannon Shanhai is expected to harness a hybrid turbo-diesel powertrain derived from the TANK 300 SUV. The package consists of a 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo-diesel paired with a electric motor, altogether outputting a whopping 345 HP and 615 NM combined.

Set to be the first hybrid pick-up truck – or ‘ute’, and the Aussies fondly refer them as – to go on sale in Australia, partial electrification sees the Cannon Shanhai promise a lot more performance. In contrast, the regular Cannon Ultra pick-up truck that GWM will launch in Malaysia soon sees its 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo-diesel mill outputting just 163 HP and 400 NM.

Rated at 345 HP and 615 NM, the GWM Cannon Shanhai's hybrid turbo-diesel powertrain promises higher performance and efficiency.

It’s also worth noting that GWM has a version of the Cannon Shanhai primed with a Ranger Raptor-rivalling 3.0-litre V6 petrol mill that boasts 348 HP and 500 NM. However, sources Down Under reportedly speculates that this option’s availability there seems highly unlikely.

Additionally, unlike the regular Cannon Ultra, the Cannon Shanhai sits slightly larger in size too – it’s 30 MM longer. With a total length of 5,440 MM, this higher-end version of the Cannon pick-up truck also sits 70 MM longer than the rivalling Ford Ranger.

Not only slightly larger and much peppier, the Cannon Shanhai also boasts boasts more kit and equipment like a powered 'barn door' split tailgate.

With this new sub-brand trademark filing, GWM is expected to market the Cannon Shanhai in Australia as more of a premium lifestyle pick-up truck option, much like how Ford currently does with the new Ranger Platinum variant.

Besides the promise of more performance and higher efficiency through its electrified powertrain, the Cannon Shanhai will offer a lot more features too. Highlights include front and rear electronic differentials, panoramic sunroof, powered ‘barn door’ split tailgate opening, as well as a full swing of active driving assistances (ADAS) including semi-autonomous parking.

Locally, bookings are now open for the GWM Cannon Ultra. An official launch is set to take place soon.

For now, GWM appears to have no intention of marketing either the Cannon Shanhai or ‘Cannon Alpha’ beyond the Australian market. Nevertheless, we won’t discount the possibility of which in the near term given the vastness and profitability of the pick-up truck segment in the Asian market.

Should GWM consider offering the Cannon Shanhai in Malaysia as a follow up to the Cannon Ultra? Would you fancy it better if it adopted the ‘Cannon Alpha’ moniker as how the Australians are set to get it? As usual, share your thoughts in the comments below, and our social media pages…