GWM Australia has posted footage of its GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV climbing a muddy ‘Beer O’clock Hill’ – the same hardcore hillclimb on which a BYD Shark 6 was seriously damaged in a similar attempt last month.
In a thinly veiled shot at fellow Chinese automaker BYD, GWM is now spruiking the Cannon Alpha PHEV as the first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) to scale the infamous, vehicle-destroying off-road ascent.
The plug-in Cannon Alpha ute not only beat the Shark 6 to the summit, but also the Ford Ranger PHEV, which is due in showrooms in within weeks and, as far as we know, is yet to tackle Beer O’clock Hill.
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Located in The Springs 4×4 Adventure Park two hours southwest of Brisbane, Queensland, the cheekily named Beer O’clock Hill is a rutted 100-metre hillclimb with a gravity-defying gradient of up to 50-degrees.
It was the site of recent heartbreaking damage to a BYD Shark 6 that failed to make it to the rock-ledge summit.
Owner Chris Baker, who runs the All Terrain Action website, seriously damaged his weeks-old Shark 6 during his attempt to climb the steep and muddy hill, bending the chassis and disabling the vehicle.
The Shark 6 could only be driven in electric mode after the mishap.
It’s worth noting that the damage was not the result of a product failure on BYD’s part.
Yet the result led to members of the BYD Shark 6 owners group kicking off a GoFundMe campaign to get Mr Baker’s ute back in shape – or replaced.
The GoFundMe page for Mr Baker has so far raised $1045.
Now, GWM has posted footage of its Shark 6 rival climbing the same slippery hill, complete with mud and ruts following more recent rain, with comparative ease.
The Cannon Alpha PHEV was fitted with a set of non-standard Mickey Thompson all-terrain tyres but was, according to GWM, otherwise as it rolled off the showroom floor.
“I reckon Beer O’clock Hill has caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in vehicle damage over the years,” said The Springs Park 4×4 Adventure Park owner Lucas Bree in a statement.
“[It’s] Shut down some of the most heavily modified rigs I’ve seen, so watching showroom-spec GWM vehicles, including a plug-in hybrid, make it to the top has completely changed my view of the brand. They’ve earned serious respect.”
For good measure, GWM also showed a Cannon XSR and a GWM Tank 300 large SUV confidently conquering the slippery slope – also fitted with Cooper A/T tyres – again in what appears to be relative ease.
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