Land Cruiser

Make
Toyota
Segment
SUV

China's auto industry is growing at a rapid rate but Chinese automakers are infamous for blatantly copying designs from Western car manufacturers. Over the years, we've seen Chinese copycats of models such as the Hummer H1 and BMW X7.

More recently, China's Great Wall Motors unveiled the Tank 500, a large body-on-frame SUV being sold under its new Tank off-roader sub-brand. It's no coincidence it bears a striking resemblance to the Toyota Land Cruiser. It looks nearly identical. At the time, the Land Cruiser lookalike was only confirmed for China, but it will also be sold in Australia in 2022 according to Drive.

It will be joined by the smaller Tank 300 midsize SUV and the Big Dog, which will be sold under the Great Wall Motors' luxury Haval sub-brand. Great Wall Motors confirmed the Tank series will be officially launched in Australia next year. "In order to bring diversified choices to consumers, the fuel version and hybrid version of the Tank series will be launched at the same time."

This suggests the Tank 500 will be imported first since it's the only model available with combustion and hybrid powertrains. The hybrid version pairs a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system to produce a combined 349 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque.

With three rows of seats offering room for up to seven occupants, the luxury interior is equipped with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.6-inch touchscreen screen for the infotainment system. Boasting a coil-spring suspension, front and rear locking differentials, and body-on-frame chassis, the Tank 500 is a supremely capable off-roader

While Great Wall Motors has been making in-roads in markets such as Australia, Thailand, South America, and South Africa and the quality of its models has improved significantly over the years, it has yet to enter the US market.