GWM at Auto Guangzhou 2025: What’s New, What’s Next, and What It Could Mean for Australia

At Auto Guangzhou 2025, one of China’s biggest annual automotive events, GWM has made its presence felt in a major way. With new technology, major brand updates, and bold off-road reveals, this year’s show highlights GWM’s global ambition and the direction the brand is heading for 2026 and beyond!

While many of the vehicles revealed are not confirmed for an Australian release, they offer us a glimpse into GWM’s technological roadmap, off-road development, and design philosophy. 

Let’s break down the big moments.

 

A New Direction: Premium Brand WEY Announces Full Renewal

One of the headline stories from Guangzhou was the complete brand renewal of WEY, GWM’s premium sub-brand. WEY announced upgrades to:

• Model design and product value

• Customer experience

• Service operations

• Brand identity

Part of this refresh was the introduction of an advanced new “VLA” ADAS (driver-assistance) foundation model, which signals the next generation of smart driving capability for GWM.

Important note:

WEY models shown at Auto Guangzhou are not confirmed for Australia.
However, their technology and design direction may influence future GWM models globally, including the ones that may eventually arrive here.

 

Serious Off-Road Upgrades: The 2026 GWM Cannon Debuts

The most talked-about reveal for off-road fans was the 2026 GWM Cannon, unveiled in multiple variants including:

• Passenger

• Commercial

• Off-Road (the standout model)

The Off-Road Cannon drew big crowds thanks to upgrades that position it as a far more serious contender in the global 4×4 space:

Key highlights of the Off-Road Cannon (China spec):

• 2.4L diesel engine with 480Nm torque

• Three mechanical differential locks

• Nine terrain drive modes including rock, sand, crawl

• Transparent chassis viewing for safer off-road manoeuvring

• Coffee OS 3 intelligent cockpit (14.6" centre screen & 10.25" cluster)

Important note:

These Cannon variants are not confirmed for Australia, including powertrains and off-road equipment.
However, the reveal clearly shows the direction GWM is taking with its 4×4 development globally and that is very promising for Australian customers.

 

Technology Front and Centre: Hi4 + Next-Gen ADAS

Across its booth, GWM emphasised a future centred around intelligent hybrid-4WD systems and smart ADAS capability, including:

• Hi4 and Hi4-T hybrid architecture

• The new VLA ADAS platform

• Coffee OS 3 user experience enhancements

• Improved integration between electrification and genuine off-road capability

These developments show that GWM is working toward a balance of efficiency, performance and multi-terrain usability something that resonates strongly with Australian drivers, especially here in the Great Southern where touring, towing and beach access are part of everyday life.

 

Global Users, Global Ambition

GWM also placed a huge emphasis on its international user community.
The booth theme revolved around:

• Global markets

• Owner experience

• Cross-market innovation

• Co-creation with users

For a brand expanding rapidly in Australia, this approach signals long-term commitment, including better engineering support, improved technology flow, and stronger product integration across global regions.

 

What Does This Mean for Australia.. and Albany?

While the Guangzhou announcements are exciting, it’s important to highlight:

None of the models revealed at Auto Guangzhou 2025 have been confirmed for the Australian market as of today.

What is clear, however, is that GWM is pushing forward aggressively in:

• Off-road development

• Diesel and hybrid performance

• Premium user experience

• Smart technology

• Global market support

For customers in Albany and the Great Southern, this direction is encouraging. It suggests:

• Stronger, more capable off-road products down the line

• Improved technology in future GWM models

• A roadmap that aligns well with Australian needs

Here at Albany GWM, we are following these developments closely and will continue to update our community as official announcements are made.