Great Wall Motor (GWM) Malaysia has once again previewed the GWM Wey 80, revealing some new updates and technical information about the plug-in hybrid MPV, which is set to be launched sometime in Q4. This is essentially the third showing of the vehicle, after its first appearance at the 2024 Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Show (KLIMS) last December, and then at PACE in July.
The first change is with the name, in which a Facebook post made last week announced that it was set to be renamed to the Wey G9 for Malaysia. The preview confirmed the switch, with the company explaining the choice as such, that “the ‘G’ symbolises the bond of love that connects generations, while the ‘9’ reflects wholeness and the dream of family unity.”
Explanation aside, the new name pitches the model right into the heady mix of similar offerings with a ‘9’ moniker here, namely the Denza D9, Maxus MIFA 9, Xpeng X9 and Zeekr 009. Rather interestingly, GWM says the G9 name has been copyrighted by it for Malaysia, so should the Xpeng G9 get here, it’ll have to be renamed for this market. Naturally, the Wey is also set to compete against the Toyota Alphard and Vellfire.
The other new information of note concerns its pricing, with GWM indicating that the MPV, which is set to become the first Chinese new energy premium MPV produced in Malaysia, will go on sale at an estimated selling price of below RM300,000.
The unit seen in these photos is the same one shown at PACE, in its middle-wheelbase 5.28 metre-long seven-seater specification (sold in China as the Wey Gaoshan 8), as can be seen when compared to the 5,050 mm standard-wheelbase form (the Gaoshan 7) that was the KLIMS example, in its pre-updated form. In the domestic market, there is also a long-wheelbase six-seater Gaoshan 9, which measures in at 5,405 mm, but it has been confirmed that we won’t be getting this.
Of course, beyond that, it’s really anyone’s guess as to what we’re going to get. At PACE, we were made to understand that the show car, which is the updated version of the MPV, would be the one coming our way. However, the briefing notes for the latest preview states the length of the Wey G9 to be 5,050 mm, which would make it the standard-wheelbase form. Other relevant numbers are a width of 1,960 mm, a 1,900 mm height and a 3.085 mm-long wheelbase, with a ground clearance of 155 mm.
With the company not stating anything beyond the point that final specs may change and there would be different variants with different wheel sizes, it could very well be that the G9 could be available in two wheelbase forms. As indicated by GWM, the locally-assembled G9 is set to be exported to Thailand, Indonesia and other regional markets, so there is a possibility of there being more than one length version.
Whatever the case may be, the G9 that will be sold here will definitely feature the updated interior brought along with the introduction of the expanded line-up in China, making Malaysia the first country outside of China to get the update as well as the car in RHD guise.
The update brings along a new two-spoke steering wheel, a 12.3-inch digital instrument display and a 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen (but without the dual screen layout, omitting the passenger display), with the latter running on GWM’s latest Coffee OS 3.
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 seats. The units are also ventilated and come with a 10-point massage function. Upholstery is in Nappa leather across the cabin.
As with the pre-update version, the G9 features a shared rail design for the second and third row seats, which provides an extra-long slide rail of 1,845 mm for second-row seating adjustment, allowing for up to 1,166 mm of legroom to be gained for second row occupants. Luggage compartment capacity is 233 litres with the rear seats up, but can be expanded to 1,725 litres.
Novelties include a 12.5 litre large fridge with an independent compressor and adjustable temperature from 0-50°C. The two-tier, dual-opening unit – with front armrest access for the driver and front passenger and a rear drawer for convenient reach for rear occupants – can hold up to six bottles on the upper level and 10 cans below.
As indicated during the preview, Malaysia will also get the latest iteration of the Hi4 system that came along with the line-up expansion in China, although there are again some differences compared to the domestic model, specifically in terms of output figures from the petrol engine and battery capacity.
According to the specification sheet, the 1.5 litre turbocharged four-pot will offer a maximum of 150 PS (148 hp, or 110 kW) at 5,500 to 6,000 rpm and 240 Nm from 1,800 to 4,000 rpm (170 PS/245 Nm in China). As for the electric motors, they mirror that of the domestic model, with the front unit offering 109 PS (107 hp, or 80 kW) and 170 Nm, while the rear motor puts out 184 PS (181 hp, or 135 kW) and 232 Nm.
Because of the variation in the engine output, the combined system output for the G9 here will be 442 PS (436 hp, or 325 kW) and 642 Nm, slightly lower than the 458 PS and 644 Nm found in China. Working in combination with a four-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission, performance figures for the MPV include a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 5.7 seconds and a 200 km/h top speed.
The battery for the Malaysian car is a 44.2 kWh unit, which is smaller in capacity to the 51.55 kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) unit for the Chinese market. It is however higher than the 37.96 kWh unit on the pre-update example shown at KLIMS.
Based on the chosen battery, GWM says the G9 can get up to 170 km of NEDC-rated travel on pure electric power alone, which translates to about 145 km of WLTP-rated range. Total operating range on a single tank of fuel is claimed to be up to 1,000 km (NEDC), which equates to around 850 km WLTP.
As for charging, the pack can be juiced up from a 30% to 80% state of charge via DC charging at a maximum rate of 60 kW in 26 minutes, while AC charging at 6.6 kW gets the pack filled up from 15% to 100% in 6.5 hours.
Speaking of the battery, the company says that the unit features quadruple battery safety protection and has aced no less than 89 tests, including 55 performance tests (BMS, power output, fast charging), 19 reliability tests (vibration, mechanical shock, crush, underbody impact), and 15 safety tests (thermal runaway, over-temperature, over-current, overcharge, short-circuit), with no failures recorded.
At the preview, the automaker also took the opportunity to highlight other safety aspects of the G9 through a body-in-white frame showing the materials and effort put into its construction. These include 81.96% use of high-strength steel for the structure and the use of 2000 MPa ultra-high-strength steel in A- and B-pillars to ensure a high structural integrity of the passenger cabin.
Other highlights include a 1,500 MPa hot-blow-formed tube integrated into the A-pillar. Said to be three times stronger than standard beams, the tubes improve frontal and side crash safety while maintaining visibility. The G9’s roof is also claimed to have a 12-ton crush resistance, which is achieved through load-bearing body design, a four longitudinal and seven cross-member frame structure, closed door-ring design and hot-stamped front cross beam.
Some localisation aspects were also highlighted, with GWM saying that the air-conditioning performance has been improved for the local car, with the AC compressor being tuned to manage the warmer weather here.
Local tuning was also carried out on the suspension to improve the ride for local conditions as well as on the powertrain to cater for the performance expected by Malaysian buyers, with the latter including putting the G9 through its paces up Genting to suitably tailor the powertrain response. Also, in case anyone’s wondering why the MPV runs on normal dampers and springs instead of an air suspension, the answer is that it is cheaper to maintain.
It was also pointed out that the second row sunroof is relatively small on the middle-wheelbase version on show because it was designed to fit the shorter Gaoshan 7. Elsewhere, the third-row seats have not been designed to fold completely flat because of thicker cushions have been utilised for better comfort, with the design focus more on passenger comfort than utility
Finally, the choice of exterior colours for the G9, which on the display unit rides on 18-inch 10-double spoke two-tone alloys wrapped with 245/50 Michelin Primacy 5 energy tyres, was also revealed. Three choices will be available to Malaysian buyers, and these are grey, black or white. As for the interior colour schemes, there will be two, these being brown and black.
Final and full specifications will of course be revealed when the GWM Wey G9 makes its local debut before the year is out, following the start of local production by EP Manufacturing (EPMB) at its facility in the Hicom Pegoh Industrial Park in Melaka. More when the time comes.
GALLERY: GWM Wey G9 middle-wheelbase version (Wey Gaoshan 8 equivalent)
GALLERY: GWM Wey G9 body-in-white display frame
