We all knew it was coming, but electrification has finally grounded itself in the ute segment.
Yep, that’s right. After years of evading it, the segment has three new plug-in hybrid electric utes available for New Zealand buyers in 2025, being the Ford Ranger PHEV, the BYD Shark 6 and the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV.
The thing is, the turbodiesel ute is somewhat of an institution in New Zealand, with buyers valuing their versatility and capability. After recently testing the BYD Shark 6, we found it was a good car but wasn’t so great at being a ute.
We’ve had a turn in the Ford Ranger PHEV, which is still a great ute, but is the least ‘electrified’ of the three.
The Cannon Alpha PHEV, on the other hand, appears to offer the best of all worlds. 115kms of electric range, along with a full 3.5 tonne towing capacity, and proper off-roading capability. Not to mention an interior that’s decked to the nines with standard equipment.
So, could the Cannon Alpha PHEV be the best new electrified ute?
What We Like and Dislike About The 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha Lux PHEV
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Power and torque Comfortable ride Useable electric range Swanky interior Proper 4X4 and towing capability | Compromised payload rating and tray space Thirsty when using the petrol engine Weight Throttle response and engine calibration Don’t get the Lux, get the Ultra |
What’s In the 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha Lux PHEV Range?
There are five variants of the GWM Cannon Alpha available in New Zealand, although only two of them are available as Plug-in Hybrid Electric vehicle (PHEV) powertrain.
| Model | Powertrain | Price |
| Cannon Alpha Lux | Diesel | $54,990 |
| Cannon Alpha Ultra | Diesel | $59,990 |
| Cannon Alpha Ultra Hybrid | Petrol hybrid (parallel hybrid) | $68,990 |
| Cannon Alpha Lux PHEV | Petrol plug-in hybrid | $69,990 |
| Cannon Alpha Ultra PHEV | Petrol plug-in hybrid | $76,990 |
In terms of trim specs, the Lux is the entry-level model and the Ultra is the top-spec model.
Diesel variants of the GWM Cannon Alpha are powered by a 2.4-litre turbodiesel engine, producing 135kW of power and 480Nm of torque.
The petrol hybrid (or parallel hybrid) variant of the Cannon Alpha is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine paired with a single electric motor and a small capacity lithium-ion battery (GWM doesn’t tell you the capacity). Its combined outputs are 255kW and 648Nm.
The Petrol Plug-in Hybrid variants of the Cannon Alpha are powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol paired with a single electric motor, and a considerably larger 37.11kWh ternary lithium-ion battery.
On its own, the petrol engine produces 180kW/380Nm, while the electric motor and battery output an extra 120kW/400Nm. Combined, the Cannon Alpha PHEV produces 300kW of power and 750Nm of torque.
All Cannon Alpha’s are 4WD, and utilise a 9-speed automatic gearbox.
There are four colours available for the GWM Cannon Alpha:
- Crystal Black
- Onyx Silver
- Marble White
- Storm Grey
There is also one extra colour, Lunar Red, which is available on the diesel and petrol hybrid variants of the Cannon Alpha. I couldn’t tell you why it isn’t offered for PHEV variants.
For more information on GWM Cannon Alpha, check out the GWM New Zealand/Australia website.
How Does The 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha Lux PHEV Compare To Its Competition?
For now, the GWM Cannon Alpha Lux PHEV is one of only a few plug-in hybrid utes available in New Zealand, making it a special proposition among its turbo-diesel ute competitors. It’s far and away from being the most expensive too.
| Make/ Model | Engine | Power/ Torque (kW/Nm) | Fuel (L/100km) | Towing capacity (Kg) | Price |
| Volkswagen Amarok Aventura TDI | 3.0-litre 6-cylinder turbodiesel | 184/600 | 9.6 | 750/3,500 | $109,000 |
| Ford Ranger Raptor V6 | 3.0-litre 6-cylinder twin-turbo petrol | 292/583 | 11.5 | 750/2,500 | $96,490 |
| Ford Ranger Wildtrak PHEV | 2.3-litre 4-cylinder turbo petrol plug-in hybrid | 207/697 | 2.9 | 750/3,500 | $89,990 |
| Ford Ranger Raptor Bi-Turbo | 2.0-litre 4-cylinder twin-turbo diesel | 150/500 | 10.2 | 750/2,500 | $86,990 |
| Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 | 3.0-litre 6-cylinder turbodiesel | 184/600 | 8.4 | 750/3,500 | $85,990 |
| GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Ultra | 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo petrol plug-in hybrid | 300/750 | 1.9 | 750/3,500 | $76,990 |
| Toyota Hilux GR Sport | 2.8-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel mild hybrid | 165/550 | 9.3 | 750/3,500 | $75,490 |
| BYD Shark 6 | 1.5-litre 4-cylinder turbo petrol engine with dual electric motors | 321/650 | 2.0* | 750/2,500 | $69,990 |
| GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Lux | 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo petrol plug-in hybrid | 300/750 | 1.9 | 750/3,500 | $69,990 |
| GWM Cannon Alpha Ultra Hybrid | 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo petrol hybrid | 255/648 | 9.8 | 750/3,500 | $68,990 |
| Isuzu D-MAX X-Terrain | 3.0-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel | 140/450 | 9.2 | 750/3,500 | $67,990 |
| Toyota Hilux SR5 Cruiser | 2.8-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel mild hybrid | 150/500 | 8.7 | 750/3,500 | $65,490 |
| Nissan Navara Pro-4X | 2.3-litre 4-cylinder twin-turbo diesel | 140/450 | 7.6 | 750/3,500 | $59,990 |
| Mitsubishi Triton VRX | 2.4-litre 4-cylinder twin- turbo diesel | 150/470 | 8.8 | 750/3,500 | $59,990 |
First Impressions of The 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha Lux PHEV
The Cannon Alpha is a huge vehicle. At 5,445mm in length, 1,991mm in width and 1,924mm high, it dwarfs other utes in the segment. In fact, the only immediate competitor that’s any larger is the BYD Shark 6, which is 12mm longer, and a whopping 1mm taller. Even then, the BYD is 20mm narrower than the Cannon Alpha, so there’s really not much in it.
Even compared to full-size SUVs the LandCruiser 300 and Range Rover, the Cannon Alpha is still huge. It’s longer and wider than a LandCruiser 300 (but not quite as tall), and longer and wider than a long wheelbase Range Rover (again, not quite as tall).
So yeah, you’d have to be behind the wheel of Chevy Silverado, RAM 1500 or Ford F-150 to convincingly say you have something larger.
Anyway, aside from the gargantuan dimensions, the Cannon Alpha is quite a presentable ute. The well-sculpted body, and sharp lines (particularly on the bonnet) provide it with an upmarket appearance.
The PHEV variants of the Cannon Alpha have blacked-out features, which includes the grille, wheels, window trims, door handles. Oddly, it also gets red brake callipers. Personally, I prefer the chrome trims, silver wheels and body-coloured doorhandles on standard hybrid. If anything, the black trims kinda disrupt the premium image to me. Also, red callipers really don’t belong on a ute. Still, I can’t fault the overall design.
What’s The Interior Like In The 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha Lux PHEV?
We’ve covered the interior of the GWM Cannon Alpha before, back when we reviewed the Cannon Alpha Hybrid in November 2024. You can find that review here.
In summary, the Cannon Alpha has one of the nicest interiors in the ute segment. Inside, it’s well-built, there’s plenty of standard equipment, and the infotainment (as well as other tech) is superior to nearly all of its competitors in the 3.5-tonne ute category.
The downsides were only that you could fault a couple of the materials, for example, the obviously-fake beechwood inlay on the dash, and perhaps argue that the interior isn’t quite hardy enough to be a proper working ute. In other words, you wouldn’t exactly want to get it dirty.
Otherwise, this interior could easily belong in a high-spec SUV. And well, it does. Because GWM uses the same interior design for the Tank 500, which is their Land Cruiser Prado and Ford Everest competitor.
Although, something to know about our test vehicle, is that this is the Cannon Alpha Lux. As we’d mentioned in the Range section, this Lux is the ‘entry’ model of the Cannon Alpha range. Frankly, you shouldn’t buy the Lux. Instead, you should buy the top-spec Cannon Alpha Ultra.
The Ultra costs $6,990, or about 10% more than the Lux. But, that extra 10% cost gives you a whole more vehicle for the money.
Just to spell it out, the Ultra gets a whole host more features, including:
- 10-speaker (with amplifier) Infinity Audio system (Lux only has an unbranded 6-speaker system)
- 64 colour ambient lighting
- 8-way adjustable electric driver’s seat (Lux has a 6-way seat)
- 6-way adjustable electric passengers’ seat (Lux has a 4-way seat)
- 12 parking sensors (Lux uses 8 sensors)
- Analogue Clock in the dashboard
- Auto dimming rear view mirror
- Auto folding mirrors
- Auto Parking Assist
- Auto Reversing Assist
- Electric sliding rear window
- Front and rear differential locks (Lux only has the rear lock)
- Front and rear wireless phone chargers (Lux doesn’t get any wireless chargers)
- Heads-up display
- Heated steering wheel
- Heated, ventilated and massaging front seats
- Heated, ventilated rear seats with electric adjustability.
- LED front fog lights
- Lights for the sun visor mirrors
- Panoramic sunroof
- Real leather seats (Lux uses Faux leather)
- Side roof lamps
- Split 60/40 tailgate
Basically, the Lux misses out on everything listed here, unless clarified in brackets.
So yeah, even though the Ultra costs more, it represents far better value for money based on the equipment list. And knowing this, could you really buy the Lux without any shred of buyer’s remorse? I know what my answer would be.
What’s The 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha Lux PHEV Like To Drive?
At the end of last year, we drove the GWM Cannon Alpha Hybrid, or the parallel-hybrid Cannon Alpha.
It was the first petrol hybrid ute to enter our market, and it performed quite well. Interestingly, it wasn’t fuel economy which it did well, but instead, it provided plenty of performance, had a good ride quality for a ute, and had a 3.5T tow rating along with all the right gear for crossing sand or wading through mud.
Compared to this Cannon Alpha Hybrid, the Cannon Alpha PHEV probably has as many, if not more, mechanical similarities than differences. For example, both the Cannon Alpha Hybrid and the Cannon Alpha PHEV utilise the same GWM-developed 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, paired with a 9-speed automatic gearbox, and Borg Warner transfer case. The cabin and chassis are obviously the same.
The main difference is on the electrified side of the equation. The Cannon Alpha PHEV has a higher output electric motor and a sizable 37.1kWh lithium-ion battery, compared with the Cannon Alpha Hybrid lesser output electric motor and its small, nondescript lithium battery.
This uprated electric powertrain provides the Cannon Alpha PHEV with true electric-only range, allowing up to a claimed 115 kilometres in EV mode. It also provides a healthy bump in performance, with an electric system output of 120kW/400Nm compared to the 78kW/268Nm of the Hybrid. Combined, the Cannon Alpha PHEV produces a total system output of 300kW of power and 750Nm of torque, up 45 kW and 102 Nm over the parallel-hybrid.
If you’ve driven the Hybrid, you’re not likely to accuse it of being a slouch. Yet, the PHEV is even quicker. Uncharacteristically quick, if I might say.
For a heavy ute, it dispenses the 0-100kp/h sprint in around 6.9 seconds. Sure, that’s not quite as quick as the BYD Shark 6’s just shy of 6-second sprint time, but it is still a solid time for a vehicle that weighs nearly three tonnes.
By the way, you did read that correctly. The kerb weight of the Cannon Alpha PHEV is 2,810Kg, about 100kg more than the already hefty BYD Shark 6, or the weight of a Toyota Hilux with the rough weight of an entire cow standing in the rear tray.
Another major change brought along with the new electric powertrain is to the chassis. In order to accommodate that large 37.1kWh battery under the tray, GWM has made changes to the rear subframe and switched a coil-sprung rear end, ditching the leaf springs used on the Hybrid and turbodiesel variants.
The upshot of these changes is that the Cannon Alpha PHEV has considerably better ride quality than the other two Cannon Alpha variants. I’d even suggest that the Cannon Alpha PHEV has the second-best ride quality in the ute segment, bested narrowly by the BYD Shark 6. However, the new suspension design doesn’t solve all of its issues.
For example, the ladder frame chassis of the Cannon Alpha does make it quite a stiff vehicle, and body control still isn’t great (but neither is the BYD). That said, BYD has done a good job of minimising any harshness that might translate through this stiff chassis.
More impressively, GWM hasn’t needed to compromise on the wading depth, nor the approach, break-over and departure angles on the PHEV, even with the battery and the re-designed suspension.
On the subject, the GWM possesses all the right equipment to go off-road, including selectable four-wheel drive, a low-range transfer case, and a locking differential (two of them, if you go for the Ultra).
We haven’t been able to test it ourselves, but we understand that GWM Cannon Alpha is quite capable when the going gets tough. That said, we also heard that its capability is limited by the equipped factory tyres, and that the PHEV doesn’t have quite as much wheel articulation on account of the new suspension. Still, the GWM can perform off-road, which is something that the BYD Shark 6 cannot reliably claim.
Of course, you’d probably expect the Cannon Alpha PHEV to be considerably better on fuel, on account of that Nissan Leaf sized battery which it’s carrying over the rear axle.
But it’s not quite as clear cut as this. Like the Hybrid, the Cannon Alpha PHEV is surprisingly thirsty when utilising the petrol engine with or without electric assistance. During our test, we ran at 12.4L per 100kms when we’d depleted the battery, which is much greater than nearly every turbodiesel ute. Of course, this drops considerably when introducing electric propulsion, but not quite as much as you’d probably expect.
To get the best out of GWM Cannon Alpha in the real world, you will need to charge it every night. This should be the standard practice for any PHEV owner, but you mightn’t consider this if you’re cross-shopping this with something of a turbodiesel flavour. It just means you need to think a little bit more like an EV driver, which isn’t tough if you install a home charging point.
There are other similar deficiencies, among which includes the payload of the rear tray. It was already compromised in the Hybrid, but it’s worse in the PHEV with a total payload capacity of only 685kg. Not to mention that spare tyre they’ve stuck back there, as it can no longer go underneath the tray (because of the battery). At least you’re getting one, I suppose.
Yet, the most puzzling issue with the Cannon Alpha PHEV is its poor throttle response. I say puzzling, because electric motors are supposed to have instant response. Interestingly, we encountered the same issue with the Cannon Alpha Hybrid, which shortly after, GWM claimed to have “fixed”.
I will admit that it is markedly better than what I experienced with the Cannon Alpha Hybrid, but there’s still a noteworthy lag between touching the throttle and any performance delivery. Funnily, it’s like the responsiveness of some previous-gen turbodiesels, in some ways.
It also underscores other calibration issues, for example, the rev-hang the engine experiences when the Cannon Alpha alternates between petrol and electric powertrains on the fly. It’s particularly noticeable after hard acceleration, when the engine sounds like it’s revving-out even though you’ve let off the throttle. That said, the calibration of the safety systems have improved substantially. In particular, the lane-keep assistance software no longer makes you quite so nervous when using it. Maybe GMW was able to learn from BMW, like it appears to have done with some of its suspiciously similar interior features.
2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV Lux Specifications
| Vehicle Type | 4-door dual-cab ute |
| Starting Price | $69,990 |
| Price as Tested | $69,990 |
| Engine | 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol, with a single electric motor |
| Battery (kWh) | 37.11 |
| Power/Torque (kW/Nm) | 300/750 |
| Transmission | 9-speed automatic |
| Spare Wheel | Full size |
| Kerb Weight (Kg) | 2,810 |
| Length x Width x Height (mm) | 5445 x 1991 x 1924 |
| Tray Payload (Kg) | 685 |
| Fuel tank capacity (litres) | 75 |
| Fuel Economy (L/100km) | Advertised Spec – Combined – 1.7 Real-World Test – Combined – 11.2 Low Usage: 0-6 / Medium Usage 6-12 / High Usage 12+ |
| Towing Capacity (Kg, unbraked/braked) | 750/3,500 |
| Turning circle (metres) | 13.0 Small: 6-10m / Medium 10-12m / Large 12m+ |
| Warranty | 5-year/130,000-km new vehicle warranty 10-year 160,000-kms powertrain warranty |
| Safety information | ANCAP Rating – 5 stars Rightcar.govt.nz – 5 Stars – QQN503 |
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