Great Wall Motor (GWM) unveils its hybrid V8-powered supercar under the Confidence brand, aiming to challenge Ferrari and redefine Chinese performance cars.
The much-rumored “GWM supercar” has now seen more information released.
In a group photo shared by Wei Jianjun taken during GWM’s 35th anniversary, a lineup of senior executives is seen standing around a sleek, low-slung vehicle draped in black cloth. Based on its silhouette and lines, the car is widely speculated to be the much-teased supercar frequently mentioned by the company’s top management.
As early as the beginning of this year, Wei Jianjun revealed that GWM’s future product lineup includes a “supercar.” Later, executives such as CTO Wu Huixiao confirmed this in various public appearances and gradually disclosed more details.
Not long ago, GWM’s new sub-brand “Confidence Auto” was exposed. It’s highly likely that this “supercar” will be positioned under Confidence Auto, debuting as a “technology flagship.”
Undoubtedly, this marks another push by GWM into a differentiated vehicle segment. But can this much-anticipated supercar carve out a unique path like the Tank series did?
First Chinese Supercar with a 4.0T V8?
According to previous rumors, GWM’s supercar is expected to feature a self-developed 4.0T V8 engine, likely paired with the Hi4 hybrid system to form a high-performance powertrain.
CTO Wu Huixiao mentioned in an interview that this V8 hybrid supercar is benchmarked against the Ferrari SF90 and expressed confidence that they could “do it better.” At the same time, she admitted that integrating a V8 engine into a supercar comes with significant challenges—leaving some mystery around the car’s final powertrain.
Rumors suggest this V8 engine may produce a maximum power of 400 kW (approximately 549 horsepower) and a peak torque of 750 N·m. It is reportedly cast using compacted graphite iron (CGI) technology.
Other key highlights include the likely use of a one-piece carbon fiber monocoque cabin, a feature common in supercars from brands like Ferrari and Lotus Cars. This can significantly reduce vehicle weight while maintaining body rigidity for an optimal driving experience.
Additional clues can be drawn from recent spy shots of the camouflaged vehicle.
You can faintly see a mid-engine layout, rounded and low-profile body lines, and prototype pebble-shaped headlights. Automotive bloggers estimate a vehicle length of around 4.6 meters and a height of about 1.2 meters—well within the dimensions of traditional supercars.
GWM isn’t the first Chinese automaker to step into the supercar field, but previous domestic entries have been fully electric—such as Hyper SSR, Yangwang U9, and NIO EP9. GWM is indeed the first in China to pursue a hybrid or fuel-powered supercar.
Historically, combustion-engine supercars have been dominated by foreign brands, largely due to the difficulty in developing large-displacement V8 engines. High-performance engines require intensive R&D and production capabilities, raising the bar significantly.
Thus, for GWM—an automaker still committed to both fuel and new energy technologies—the launch of a supercar with a self-developed 4.0T V8 could significantly boost its influence in the internal combustion engine field.
However, given the negligible market performance of domestic million-yuan ($140,000) supercars, this move by GWM is undeniably a high-stakes gamble.
After five years in development, will China’s homegrown supercar fulfill Wei Jianjun’s long-standing dream?
Recreating the “Tank” Legend with a Supercar?
Wei Jianjun once stated that building a supercar is one of his personal dreams.
The word “one” is key—because in 2024, he already achieved another dream: creating a motorcycle with a V8 engine—named GWM Souo.
As a “dream vehicle,” the roughly RMB 200,000 ($28,000) price point meant it wasn’t a volume-seller, but its real value was in showcasing GWM’s technical prowess in combustion engine development. After all, motorcycles with V8 engines are exceedingly rare, yet GWM built one.
The newly revealed supercar appears to follow a similar philosophy. On the one hand, it carries Wei Jianjun’s personal dream; on the other, it acts as a technology demonstrator for GWM’s capabilities in high-performance ICEs and hybrid systems.
It’s even plausible that this supercar marks the beginning of a new performance-oriented product line—mirroring how the Tank series carved out a niche in rugged off-road vehicles.
Back in 2021, the Tank 300 had such overwhelming demand that it became backlogged by over 50,000 orders by April, with delivery wait times exceeding three months.
During a March livestream, Wei Jianjun remarked, “We have Cullinan, Phantom, and Ferrari. We want to build better cars, more premium cars. We can’t just watch pigs run—we must know how to raise them too.”
These comments make clear that GWM no longer wants to be confined to SUVs. Instead, it aims to cover a wider range of categories and price points, hoping to become a more versatile and confident automaker.
Wei’s bold ambitions have won support online. After all, the idea of a “domestically-made V8 supercar” is undeniably thrilling. But others question whether GWM, which has never produced a high-performance supercar, can truly rise to the challenge.
As for whether the success of niche models like Ora or Tank can be replicated, that answer remains far off.
What do you think—can GWM once again break through, this time with a supercar?
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