From Electric to Diesel: GWM NZ to Add 8 New Models by End of 2026
13 July, 2026
Fresh from record breaking June, GWM New Zealand is wasting no time building on the momentum. The brand delivered its best monthly sales performance after delivering 610 vehicles to consumers, capturing a 4.7 per cent share of the new vehicle market, and now it’s confirmed what comes next: up to eight new models arriving in the second half of 2026.
The all-new ORA 5 SUV is already here, with a further mid-size SUV under the ORA badge to follow, extending the brand’s electric offering for buyers seeking a fully battery powered option.
On the ute front, the Cannon Hi4-T Plug-in Hybrid Ute is due to launch in September, sitting alongside the existing Cannon Alpha Hi4-T to give what GWM calls New Zealand’s broadest range of electrified utes. An all-new 3.0 litre turbo diesel engine follows across both the Cannon Alpha and the Tank 500, with GWM saying the engine brings more power and torque while also improving fuel efficiency, towing confidence, touring capability and everyday drivability. Australia and New Zealand have been named the lead global markets for the new powertrain, developed using local testing and feedback.
The mid-size SUV segment also gets fresh attention, with the all-new Haval H7 arriving in hybrid and plug-in hybrid forms, and the Haval Jolion Max offered as both a plug-in hybrid and a fully electric model. These join the established Haval H6 and H6 GT range, rounding out a line-up that now covers nearly every type of powertrain on the market.
Cameron Thomas, GWM New Zealand country manager, says: “No single technology wins every customer, and no single customer needs every technology.” He adds that the company’s role is to give customers the freedom to choose whatever best suits their lives, be that petrol, diesel, hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric, and that GWM is building its strategy around the business it is becoming, not the one it has today.
The message from GWM is straightforward: whatever a driver’s preference, there is likely to be a model built with them in mind. It’s a scale of expansion that underpins the brand’s wider ambitions in New Zealand, with GWM targeting over 5,000 sales by the end of 2026, a top five market position by the end of 2027, and a top three position by 2030.
