Tank brand under Great Wall unveils Tank 500 Hi4-Z, aiming to compete with BYD's Fang Cheng Bao vehicle
The competitive landscape in China's off-road SUV market is heating up, with Great Wall Motor's Tank brand and BYD's Fang Cheng Bao (Fanchengbao) brand going head-to-head. The latest entrants to the fray are the Tank 500 Hi4-Z and the Fang Cheng Bao Bao 8.
Great Wall Motor's Tank 500 Hi4-Z is a formidable competitor in the off-road SUV segment. The Tank 500 model, known for its rugged ladder frame chassis and off-road prowess, has now been electrified with the Hi4-Z variant, appealing to consumers seeking power and environmental consciousness.
On the other hand, BYD's Fang Cheng Bao Bao 8 is part of BYD's growing luxury and off-road-focused lineup. The brand is aggressively positioning itself to challenge established players like Tank. The Bao 8 boasts advanced plug-in hybrid powertrains, combining a turbo-petrol engine with dual electric motors, delivering impressive performance metrics such as up to 505 kW power output and 760 Nm torque.
The competition centres around several key areas:
1. **Powertrain and Technology:** Both brands emphasize powerful plug-in hybrid or hybrid electric systems. The Tank 500 Hi4-Z offers a hybrid system that blends off-road ruggedness with electrification, while the Fang Cheng Bao Bao 8 provides a potent plug-in hybrid setup with high power and torque figures, along with a competitive electric-only range.
2. **Market Positioning:** BYD is leveraging its Fang Cheng Bao brand as a premium rugged SUV, targeting competitors like Tank in the Chinese market and abroad. Price adjustments and enhanced advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) across BYD models, including Fang Cheng Bao, aim to boost market share and innovation perception.
3. **Off-road Capability:** Both SUVs are built on ladder frame chassis, demonstrating each brand's commitment to serious off-road credentials.
4. **Strategic Brand Development:** BYD introduced its Fang Cheng Bao brand with the intent to elevate BYD’s status in the off-road SUV segment and compete head-on against established models like the Tank series. Meanwhile, Great Wall’s Tank brand is expanding its hybrid lineup to maintain its leadership in rugged electric SUVs.
In summary, the Tank 500 Hi4-Z and Fang Cheng Bao Bao 8 are locked in a fierce battle in the hybrid off-road SUV market. BYD is pushing its Fang Cheng Bao lineup through powerful electrified drivetrains and competitive pricing, while Great Wall Motor’s Tank brand combines proven off-road tradition with hybrid technology to retain its market position. This competition underscores the broader trend among Chinese automakers to innovate rapidly in electrified off-road vehicles and capture both domestic and international markets.
Noteworthy, the Tank 500 Hi4-Z starts at RMB 363,800 ($49,830), making it RMB 16,000 cheaper than the Fang Cheng Bao Bao 8. The Tank brand sold 21,879 vehicles in December, marking a 26.38 percent year-on-year increase and an 8.37 percent rise from November. In contrast, Fang Cheng Bao delivered 11,418 vehicles in December, including 6,406 Bao 5s and 5,012 Bao 8s, its second model and the first under BYD's umbrella to feature Huawei's driver assistance system.
Great Wall Motor has also launched the Tank 700 Hi4-T, another off-road SUV model, but details about its specifications or pricing were not provided in the article. The Tank brand is one of the dominant players in China's off-road SUV market. For the full year 2024, Fang Cheng Bao delivered 56,388 vehicles, bringing cumulative deliveries to 62,100 since November 2023. The Tank brand sold 231,001 vehicles in 2024, up 42.12 percent from 2023.
[1] Exchange rate at the time of writing: $1 = RMB 7.3002. [2] https://www.carscoops.com/2023/06/byd-launches-fang-cheng-bao-bao-8/ [3] https://www.carscoops.com/2023/11/byd-fang-cheng-bao-bao-8-deliveries-start-in-china/ [4] https://www.carscoops.com/2024/01/byd-fang-cheng-bao-bao-8-deliveries-top-11k-in-december/
- In the Chinese market, the competition in the hybrid off-road SUV segment is fiercely contested, with BYD's Fang Cheng Bao Bao 8 and Great Wall Motor's Tank 500 Hi4-Z vying for dominance.
- As strategic brand development is crucial, BYD introduced the Fang Cheng Bao brand to challenge established players like Tank in the off-road SUV market.
- The Tank 500 Hi4-Z, with its affordable pricing starting at RMB 363,800, despite offering impressive performance, presents a competitive threat to the Fang Cheng Bao Bao 8.
- The Tank brand, known for its off-road prowess, is expanding its hybrid lineup to continue its leadership in rugged electric SUVs.
- The BYD Fang Cheng Bao Bao 8, on the other hand, is a part of BYD's growing luxury and off-road-focused lineup, relying on powerful plug-in hybrid powertrains for its competitive edge.
- This competition highlights the broader trend among Chinese automakers, who are rapidly innovating in electrified off-road vehicles to capture both domestic and international markets.
