At 18:00 on June 26, 2025, the second phase of Great Wall Motor’s “Hi4 Talk” arrived as scheduled. This issue was hosted by Ah Fei, a well-known auto blogger, and continued to have a dialogue with Wu Huixiao, CTO of Great Wall Motors, and Wang Chao, deputy general manager of Great Wall Motor Technology Center, to carry out in-depth communication around the two major technologies of Hi4-T and Hi4-Z.
In the first issue of the “Hi4 Talk”, everyone discussed the Hi4 and Hi4 performance versions of urban cars under the Hi4 technology system, focusing on the difference between Hi4 technology and range extension technology and the value of four-wheel drive to users. The Hi4-T and Hi4-Z focus on off-road, so in the second issue of the “Hi4 Talk”, everyone focuses on topics such as durability and reliability, off-road scenarios, etc., and gives clear and clear purchase suggestions on how users can choose the technology and products that suit them.
The foundation of Great Wall Motor’s victory in the ring tower is impeccable durability and reliability
In the off-road circle, the phrase “off-road must not only go out, but also come back” is widely circulated, aiming to emphasize durability and reliability, which is the core of off-road vehicles and the foundation based on the market.
The just-concluded 2025 China Tour of the Tower Rally has set up T2.E mass production for the first timeNew energyGroup, it is required that the participating vehicles must maintain the original powertrain, three-electric system, chassis structure, etc., so this is an epic test of whether the new energy off-road technology is durable and reliable.
The Great Wall Tank Team formed a strong lineup with the Tank 300 Hi4-T, Tank 400 Hi4-T, and Tank 500 Hi4-Z to compete in a complex stage of more than 4,000 kilometers, and finally won the championship of the Manufacturer’s Team Cup T2.E mass-produced new energy group, showing the outstanding performance of Hi4-T and Hi4-Z in terms of durability and reliability.
Wang Chao, deputy general manager of Great Wall Motor Technology Center
Wang Chao, deputy general manager of Great Wall Motor Technology Center, said: “Our racing car has run all the way, and the battle damage is almost all small bumps on the front and rear bars, and the core components include engines, transmissions, transfers, and key power batteries of new energy models, which are not damaged throughout the whole process.” The harsh environment of the ring tower arena is obvious to all, and the high temperature in the desert exceeds 60 °C, but in fact, the internal parts testing and vehicle testing of Great Wall Motors are more difficult than those of the ring tower. ”
Great Wall Motor CTO Wu Huixiao
In this regard, Wu Huixiao, CTO of Great Wall Motors, also emphasized that Great Wall Motors’ participation in the Tour of the Tower Rally is to use the arena as a testing ground and continue to improve and grow in the event. Great Wall Motors develops and tests vehicles with global standards to bring Chinese cars to all corners of the world.
In fact, the retention rate is an important reference to reflect durability and reliability, according to the “2025· Q1 China Automobile Retention Rate Ranking” shows that the three-year retention rate of tank brands reached 61.53%, ranking first among Chinese brands. The Tank 700 Hi4-T, Tank 500 Hi4-T, and Tank 400 Hi4-T rank among the top three domestic new energy plug-in hybrid SUVs in terms of value retention, respectively.
In Wu Huixiao’s view, the value retention rate is closely related to product quality, and Chinese auto brands should continue to improve product quality, and this is a “marathon”, competing for continuous accumulation and long-termism.
There is no optimal technology, only more suitable, Hi4-T and Hi4-Z have their own strengths
Hi4-T and Hi4-Z are both new energy off-road technologies of Great Wall Motors, but the two are fundamentally different in technology, among which Hi4-T is positioned as a strong off-road hybrid architecture, and Hi4-Z is positioned as a pan-off-road hybrid architecture.
In this regard, Wang Chao made an image analogy: “Hi4-T is like an all-rounder in the cross-country world, proficient in sprinting, long-distance running, and shot put. If most of the user’s usage scenarios are mainly climbing, playing with mud, ice and snow, etc., and extreme scenes account for a large proportion, it is very suitable to choose Hi4-T. And from the perspective of technical architecture, the Hi4-T is a 2.0T/3.0T engine + 9HAT gearbox, with a central drive shaft, three hard locks, almost the “top” configuration of civilian hardcore off-road vehicles.
For users who mainly commute to the city, go to the suburbs for moderate and light off-road during holidays, and need to take some unpaved roads, the Hi4-Z is a more suitable choice. Taking the Tank 500 Hi4-Z as an example, first of all, the “urban performance” is very prominent, with a pure electric range of 201km, which basically meets the user’s daily fuel consumption needs for a week, and can be charged for about 120km in 15 minutes. In addition, the car accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in 4 seconds when fully charged, and even if it is fed, it has 5 seconds, and the fuel consumption is only 8.6L/100km. Secondly, the “off-road performance” is also outstanding, with the Dion five-link off-road special rear suspension, and the “true 4L” mode that can amplify the torque of the front and rear wheels by 20 times, the impact resistance and escape ability are significantly better than urban SUVs.
For users, there is no absolute optimal technology, only more suitable, whether it is the Hi4 and Hi4 performance version suitable for urban scenarios, or the Hi4-T and Hi4-Z suitable for off-road scenarios, it is a technical expression of Great Wall Motor’s commitment to meeting the diversified car needs of users. The real user thinking is not to provide a “one-size-fits-all solution”, but to provide exclusive answers for different lives.
