GWM targets 1500 ute sales a month by mid-to-late 2027

A deadline for GWM’s ute target

GWM Australia is aiming to sell about 1500 utes a month by the middle-to-latter part of 2027. Chief operating officer John Kett told CarExpert that GWM needs to become a top-five ute seller as part of its wider ambition to rank among Australia’s five best-selling automotive brands. If the company has not reached the ute target by then, he said it would reassess what it needs to do. ¹

The 1500 figure is a monthly sales goal, distinct from GWM’s overall annual target of about 75,000 vehicles. In comments reported by CarExpert in September, Kett said GWM wanted to get as close as possible to an overall top-five position in 2027. He acknowledged it might finish that year at around 70,000 sales, short of the annual volume it is seeking, while reaching the required sales run rate by year’s end. ²⁶

Where ute sales stand

CarExpert reported 827 GWM ute deliveries in August 2026, after 778 in July and 1171 in June. GoAuto separately reported the June total for the combined Cannon and Cannon Alpha range. August’s result was 673 utes below Kett’s proposed monthly target; even the stronger June result was 329 short. ²⁴

Combining each brand’s ute models, CarExpert placed GWM sixth in August. It reported 1385 BYD Shark 6 sales, 1708 Isuzu D-Max sales and 1161 Mitsubishi Triton sales, against GWM’s 827 utes. Kett attributed some of GWM’s recent ute-sales weakness to Cannon Alpha Hi4-T plug-in hybrid stock selling through and a reduction in supply of the 2.4-litre diesel Cannon. ²

Across all vehicles, CarExpert reported that GWM ranked seventh in August with 4870 sales and had recorded 39,747 sales for the year to the end of that month. GoAuto reported an earlier monthly high of 6104 sales in June, when GWM also ranked seventh. The ute goal is therefore one part of a broader attempt to lift the brand’s overall sales ranking. ¹²⁴

The expanded diesel and plug-in hybrid range

Kett’s latest target accompanied the launch of an updated Cannon Alpha dual-cab ute and Tank 500 large SUV offered with GWM’s new 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel. CarExpert reported an output of 170kW and 620Nm, with peak torque available from 1400 to 2400rpm. It also reported that the new engine is not paired with a mild-hybrid or plug-in hybrid system. ¹²

GWM says its ute range spans 2.0- and 2.4-litre turbo-diesels, the new 3.0-litre turbo-diesel and 2.0-litre turbo-petrol plug-in hybrid powertrains. For an engine comparison, CarExpert reported in March that GWM’s existing 2.4-litre turbo-diesel produced 135kW and 480Nm. Those outputs describe different engines, rather than every variant in the Cannon and Cannon Alpha ranges. ¹³

Kett told CarExpert that diesel still accounted for roughly 70–75 per cent of the ute market, while acknowledging a shift towards plug-in hybrids. He estimated that the Cannon Alpha 3.0-litre diesel could contribute about 200 sales a month. That figure is his expectation, not a recorded result. ²

Rollout and a conditional Cannon offer

GWM announced in October 2025 that Australia would be the debut market for its 3.0-litre diesel in the Cannon Alpha and Tank 500. GoAuto reported in July 2026 that the company was also preparing a Cannon plug-in hybrid and an off-road-focused Cannon Alpha XSR. The later Cannon Alpha and Tank 500 launch reported by CarExpert establishes that the new diesel has since joined the range; the earlier product plans do not establish delivery dates for every ute variant. ⁵⁴¹

In separate September coverage, CarExpert reported that GWM had shown the Cannon plug-in hybrid with a $47,990 introductory drive-away price for eligible ABN buyers. That conditional offer applies to the Cannon PHEV, not the Cannon Alpha diesel. It is a drive-away offer, rather than a manufacturer list price excluding on-road costs. ⁶

The wider top-five ambition

GWM’s stated timetable for an overall top-five ranking has shifted. Its October 2025 Tech Day announcement referred to a 75,000-unit target and a top-five position by 2025. GoAuto reported a target of the end of 2027 in July 2026. Kett’s later comments, reported by CarExpert in September, qualified that aim: GWM wants to get close in 2027, but may reach the necessary run rate without finishing the year inside the top five. ⁵⁴⁶

CarExpert reported 52,809 GWM deliveries in Australia in 2025. GoAuto reported in July that the company was planning for more than 60,000 in 2026; in his later September comments, Kett estimated about 62,000 for this year. The proposed increase to 1500 monthly ute sales sits within that larger sales ambition, rather than accounting for the whole increase GWM is seeking. ³⁴⁶