China’s GWM Tank 300 Diesel Heads for the South Pole
While most cars give up long before the thermometer hits minus thirty, the GWM Tank 300 Diesel is heading there by choice. The rugged Chinese SUV is set to become the first production vehicle to serve at a polar research station.
Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor (GWM) announced that its Tank 300 Diesel has been selected as the official support vehicle for China’s polar research programmes, including missions at the country’s Antarctic station. The collaboration agreement was signed with the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC) and marks the first time an unmodified, mass-produced car has been dispatched to such an expedition.
Before earning its ticket to the ice, the Tank 300 underwent extensive trials assessing reliability, off-road performance, and diesel endurance in extreme cold. In GWM’s wind tunnel facility, the SUV was started and tested at minus 30 degrees Celsius under simulated blizzard conditions. It passed every test: the engine fired up instantly, windows defrosted quickly, and the cabin warmed as if it were just another winter morning commute.
The vehicle’s structure is built from 70 percent high-strength steel and can withstand more than 15 tonnes of roof pressure. Its body torsional rigidity reaches 284.5 kN·m/rad, helping maintain stability over uneven terrain. Power comes from a 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engine proven through 14,000 hours of bench testing and 4.2 million kilometres of real-world trials.
The Tank 300 has already earned credibility in Australia, where it conquered the notoriously challenging Beer O’Clock Hill, one of the toughest off-road routes in the country. Now, it faces colder but no less demanding trials at the southern edge of the world.
