New GWM P Series bakkie: details for South Africa finally announced!

By: Ryan Bubear

GWM South Africa has finally announced details of its new P Series, confirming the fresh-faced bakkie will launch locally late in November 2020.

Interestingly, while the new bakkie will be badged as the “Poer” in most international markets, it will retain the “P Series” moniker here in South Africa (with GWM SA noting “Poer” might not be the best option in a country blessed with a “keenly sharp sense of humour”). For the record, it will be called the GWM “Ute” in Australia.

So, what do we know about the local range? Well, while the price list has yet to be released (with the company promising only pricing will be “keen”), the Chinese firm’s SA division says power will come from a new 2,0-litre turbodiesel engine. Previous reports suggested this four-cylinder oil-burner would offer around 120 kW and 400 N.m.

The new P Series range in South Africa will comprise 16 derivatives, ranging from a single-cab base model in 4×2 guise with a manual gearbox to double-cab derivatives offered in both 4×2 and 4×4 form, with either a six-speed manual gearbox or an eight-speed automatic transmission from ZF.

Expect flagship double-cab models to feature swathes of leather inside plus items such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring, parking sensors (fore and aft), a reversing camera and up to seven airbags. GWM furthermore says 4×4 derivatives will feature an “intelligent” two-speed torque-on-demand four-wheel-drive system and differential locks as standard.

As a reminder, the bakkie was revealed back in April 2019, with the company saying it would “compete head-on” with big-sellers such as the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger. Running on a new P71 platform, GWM says the Chongqing-built bakkie measures 5 410 mm long, 1 934 mm wide and 1 886 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 3 230 mm.

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