First previewed at the 2024 Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Show (KLIMS) last December, the GWM Wey 80 MPV has gone on show again at the ongoing paultan.org Premium Auto Car Expo (PACE), which runs today and tomorrow at the Setia City Convention Centre (SCCC).
However, unlike the KLIMS display unit, the example on show this weekend is the updated version of the MPV that will be coming our way. The display example is also a long-wheelbase version, which is the 5.2 metre-long Wey Gaoshan 8, as the Wey 80 is known in China.
It was previously said that Malaysia will be getting the standard 5.0 metre-long variant (aka Wey Gaoshan 7) similar to the KLIMS show car, but this is apparently not set in stone, so we could see either the SWB or the LWB coming our way.
That the unit at PACE is the Gaoshan 8 version is because the show car’s interior has a seven-seat configuration. There’s an even longer 5.4 metre version, the Wey Gaoshan 9, which also made its debut at Auto Shanghai 2025, but that is strictly a six-seater.
Whatever the case may be, the Wey 80 that will be sold here will, as suggested by the spyshot set from last month, feature the updated interior brought along with the Gaoshan 8 and 9 siblings, This will make Malaysia the first country outside of China to get the update as well as the car in RHD guise.
Key changes to the cabin is the new two-spoke steering wheel and the different 12.3-inch instrument/15.6-inch infotainment separate screen layout as seen on the Gaoshan 9 in Shanghai, although the Malaysian spec will only come with a single central display instead of the dual central screen configuration of the domestic model.
Additionally, the centre row zero-gravity captain chairs have been redesigned, and now have physical seat adjustment controls located on the forward edge of the inner armrests on both units.
If there are no changes to the Hi-4 plug-in powertrain from that seen on the Wey 80 at KLIMS, then we can expect it to be powered by a 154 hp (156 PS) 1.5 litre turbocharged petrol mill, paired with two electric motors, a 174 hp (177 PS, or 130 kW) unit at the front and an 181 hp (183 PS, or 135 kW) unit at the rear.
This makes for a combined system output of 480 hp (487 PS or 358 kW) and 762 Nm, with a 37.96 kWh ternary lithium battery providing the vehicle with up to 140 km (CLTC) of electric-only travel.
However, the refresh to the MPV in China has also brought about an update to the Hi-4 system for the domestic market, with the headlining numbers being 170 PS/245 Nm for the 1.5 litre turbocharged four-pot and 109 PS/170 Nm for the front and 184 PS/232 Nm for the rear electric motors.
Total system output is 458 PS and 644 Nm, which is lower on the whole, but the inclusion of a 51.55 kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery means that the Gaoshan 9 has a WLTP-rated electric range of 201 km, with a total operating range of 963 km on a single tank of fuel. The question is, will we be getting this?
One thing that has been confirmed is that the Wey 80 will be locally assembled by EP Manufacturing (EPMB) at its facility in the Hicom Pegoh Industrial Park in Melaka from the end of this year. As to when it will make its official debut in Malaysia, it’s expected to be soon, in this quarter. In the meantime, if you want a first look at it, head on to PACE 2025.
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