China holds one major motor show yearly, alternating between last year’s venue which was Beijing, this year it was held in Shanghai. To say the Auto Shanghai 2025 is big is a massive understatement. We were invited by GWM Philippines to see what new and exciting vehicles and technologies they were unveiling.
The motorshow, held at National Exhibition and Convention Center, a sprawling venue allowing car brands to fully realize their vision to showcase their newest vehicles and technologies and GWM took full advantage of the space they had to immerse show goers in their brand. Next to their showcase of various models, their updated, electrified (hybrid) four – wheel drive powertrain was center stage, Hi4, which means H – Hybrid i – Intelligent 4 – 4WD.
4WD for all: Hi4
Hi4 is GWM’s intelligent electrified 4WD platform, which makes electric AWD available to more categories of vehicle making it more accessible to more people around the world. The second generation Hi4 which was showcased at Auto Shanghai improves on efficiency, performance and safety across 28 areas. Think of it as a solution to suit different on road needs while offering a good balance of performance, efficiency and control.
Last year, GWM launched their proprietary off-road vehicle classification system, naming four categories: Ultra-Extreme Off-Road, Extreme Off-Road, General Off-Road, and Urban SUV. Hi4-T for extreme off-roading, Hi4-Z for general off-roading and Hi4 extended for Urban SUVs. The Hi4 architecture lends itself well to future innovations and development for ultra-extreme off-road applications.
The Hi4 architecture did away with the traditional dual-motor hybrid set up where usually both motors power the front wheels, without power to the rear wheels, making uneven power transfer to the road. Power only going to the front could possibly result in front end under steer and rear end instability under high-speed cornering or hard acceleration.
What they did was move one motor to the rear and gave the front motor dual functionality, drive and generation. Now, Hi4 gives you balanced power distribution, nearly 50:50 front/rear load ratio and true AWD capability. This results in better traction, better balance and improved safety and performance. Hi4 also has nine intelligent drive modes which automatically adapts to various on road conditions., whether it uses EV mode in the city, and switching to ICE on highways or both in mixed conditions.
The second generation Hi4 adds intelligent rear-axle decoupling system to minimize loss to friction at high speeds improving efficiency in 2WD mode. It’s also equipped with intelligent torque vectoring ensuring “millisecond-level torque precision for enhanced power, efficiency, and safety”.
Hi4-Z
For customers who prefer mid to full-sized SUVs, GWM developed the Hi4-Z, a performance version that delivers extra power for larger platforms. The Z is GWM’s ultimate all-terrain electrified platform which can easily handle daily city drives and weekends off the beaten track with as much ease. Offering over 200kms (WLTC) of electric range, 0-100kph in under 5 seconds, and about 20x more torque than mainstream off roaders can give.
This system works off an innovative power split plus 3-speed series parallel hybrid configuration for unmatched energy efficiency across all driving conditions. Hi4-Z allows for longer range, lower consumption, exciting performance and uncompromised safety, what you need to get further, save more and drive smarter.
Hi4-T
This variant of the Hi4 powertrain is for the hardcore off-roaders, one purpose built platform for electrified, rugged capability. This configuration pairs a large displacement engine with a 9-speed hybrid transmission, a high capacity off-road specific battery for long EV range and a non-decoupling AWD layout with three mechanical locking differentials. This allows for 100% torque transfer to any single wheel. This ensures maximum traction and the ability to power through the toughest terrain.
Hi4-G
One of the newer variations of the Hi4, this one, an intelligent hybrid platform for commercial vehicles, this platform also ideal for business and logistics. GWM stays true to creating maximum value, smart, sustainable and performance solutions.
We saw models already powered by the Hi4 powertrains, but some of GWMs lineup have yet to adopt their specific Hi4 powertrain .
