Wei Jianjun, chairman of Great Wall Motor, drove a Ferrari SF90 at GWM’s proving ground and posted the video on Weibo on November 12, with his own company’s supercar prototype pixelated in the footage.
Our sports car “is still some way short of Ferrari’s all-round ability,” he wrote, by my translation.
“But I believe the Great Wall Motor team will definitely step up its efforts, and when it goes on sale next year it will be able to surpass it and bring everyone a surprise.” In the video he named the gaps as handling stability, acceleration response and exhaust note.
Key Takeaways
- GWM’s first supercar is built on its GF architecture, shown at the Beijing Auto Show on April 26, 2026, with a mid-mounted 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 plug-in hybrid and all-wheel drive.
- GWM’s target is more than 1,200 PS from the hybrid system, about 1,184 hp, with a power-to-weight ratio of 0.68 PS per kilogram.
- Chairman Wei Jianjun says it goes on sale in 2027 and expects it to surpass the Ferrari SF90 he drove at GWM’s test track.
- A GT3 race car on the same architecture is due in 2027, capped at 600 PS (about 592 hp) and under 1.3 tonnes.
- GWM names Australia and New Zealand as markets for the V8. It sells no vehicles in the United States.
- GWM has given no price, name or 0-60 time for the road car.
What GWM Has Announced About the GF Supercar
GWM showed the GF architecture at its Motorsport Culture Day on April 26, 2026, at the Beijing Auto Show. GF stands for “Great Faith.” The release from GWM’s Ultra Luxury business group describes two cars on it: a road-going supercar with a hybrid all-wheel-drive system making more than 1,200 PS, and a GT3 race car.
That 1,200 PS is metric horsepower. In American terms it is about 1,184 hp, by my conversion.
The cabin is a carbon-fiber monocoque that GWM says weighs under 130 kilograms, about 287 pounds, and is about 40% lighter than an aluminum structure. Technicians lay up 3,400 carbon plies over 48 hours to build one.
The 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 uses a dry sump with one pressure pump and three scavenge pumps, which cuts the engine’s height by 50 millimeters. A magnesium-aluminum housing, a titanium muffler and coated cylinder bores in place of cast-iron liners save 30 kilograms.
The road car’s quoted power-to-weight ratio is 0.68 PS per kilogram. Divided into 1,200 PS, that works out to about 1,765 kilograms, or roughly 3,890 pounds, by my arithmetic.
A GT3 Race Car Comes First
GWM says it is developing the track car first and the road car second. The GT3 car, due in 2027, is capped at 600 PS, about 592 hp, and weighs under 1.3 tonnes.
“Great Wall will build the Chinese people’s own first GT3 race car,” said Song Dongxian, CEO of the Ultra Luxury business group, at the Beijing launch.
Where GWM Plans to Sell Its V8
Wei discussed the V8 with Australian and New Zealand reporters in Beijing; GWM Australia posted his remarks May 4.
“This is completely opposite to the current environment or trend in China; it does not fit the Chinese market,” he said. “We developed this V8 to meet the needs of more global users, in markets such as Australia and New Zealand.”
The supercar gets a high-performance version of the V8, and the Tank 700 SUV will get what Wei called “a normal V8.” GWM Australia’s page says the GF supercar is expected to be revealed in 2027, and Chinese coverage of Wei’s November post puts its debut at the end of 2026.
GWM does not sell vehicles in the United States. A Commerce Department rule finalized in January 2025 bars connected-vehicle software from China or Russia starting with the 2027 model year and generally bars Chinese-linked manufacturers from selling connected vehicles in the U.S.
What GWM’s Supercar Means for U.S. Buyers
GWM is aiming a 1,200 PS V8 plug-in hybrid at Ferrari’s SF90 and plans to sell it in 2027, with a 600 PS GT3 car alongside. GWM has named Australia and New Zealand as markets for its V8 program and has announced no U.S. plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GWM building a supercar?
Yes. GWM showed the GF high-performance architecture at the Beijing Auto Show on April 26, 2026, and says a road supercar and a GT3 race car will be built on it. Chairman Wei Jianjun says the supercar goes on sale in 2027.
How much horsepower will the GWM supercar have?
GWM’s target is more than 1,200 PS from the hybrid all-wheel-drive system, which converts to about 1,184 hp.
What engine does the GWM supercar use?
A mid-mounted 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8, developed in-house and paired with electric motors as a plug-in hybrid with all-wheel drive. GWM has not published the engine’s output on its own.
Is the GWM supercar a Ferrari rival?
GWM chairman Wei Jianjun drove a Ferrari SF90 at GWM’s test track and wrote that GWM’s prototype still trails it, and that he expects it to surpass the SF90 when it goes on sale.
When will the GWM supercar be released?
Wei says it goes on sale in 2027. GWM’s Australian site says the GF supercar is expected to be revealed in 2027, and Chinese coverage of his November post puts the debut at the end of 2026.
Will the GWM supercar be sold in the U.S.?
GWM has announced no U.S. plans and sells no vehicles in the United States. The markets it has named for its V8 program are Australia and New Zealand.
How much will the GWM supercar cost?
GWM has not announced a price.
Who is building the GWM supercar?
GWM’s Ultra Luxury business group, led by CEO Song Dongxian, released the GF architecture at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show.
Michael Kahn
Michael Kahn is the writer, photographer, and publisher behind The Weekly Driver. He cares about how cars drive and what they're like to own. He covers automobile industry news, car shows and events, and new car reviews. The reviews come from behind the wheel: day trips that favor back routes, treating a good meal as half the reason to go. He directs and produces the visual media, matching each car to a setting and mood that fit it. When he's not reviewing new cars, Michael races paddleboards, camels, and ostriches, along with the occasional exotic car on the racetrack, and has driven in every state and country visited.
https://theweeklydriver.com
