GWM Ute Cannon Vanta arrives as cut-price alternative to Toyota HiLux Rogue

The GWM Ute Cannon just got a bit more luxurious, with the Chinese brand adding a new flagship Vanta variant to the range.

The Vanta badge has been used for the most well-equipped models in the GWM Haval SUV range, and this marks the first time it’s been slapped on the Ute range.

Priced from $46,490 drive-away, the Vanta is $2000 dearer than the Cannon-X grade that it is based on. 

To differentiate it from the X, the Vanta gains black 18-inch alloy wheels, as well as black exterior door mirrors, door handles and front grille. It also gains a black sports bar and black badging.

With the Vanta’s styling flourishes, GWM looks to be targeting the likes of the Toyota HiLux Rogue ($70,200), the Mitsubishi Triton GSR ($55,690).

This is in addition to the features already standard on the Cannon-X, including heated front leather seats, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, a 360-degree camera, wireless phone charging, and a 7.0-inch colour instrument cluster.

Standard safety gear includes autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and bicycle detection, a forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control and traffic sign recognition.

Available colours include Pearl White, Crystal Black, Blue Sapphire, Scarlet Red and Pittsburgh Silver.

The Ute is GWM’s best-selling model in Australia so far this year, with combined 4x2 and 4x4 sales totalling 6292, just ahead of the Haval Jolion SUV on 6158 and the H6 on 5169.

When it comes to 4x4 sales, the GWM Ute is leading its key rival, the LDV T60 which has found 4588 homes to the end of October this year. It’s also well ahead of the SsangYong Musso (1336).

But it still trails its Thai-built rivals from more established brands, like the Mitsubishi Triton (21,783) and Nissan Navara (7880).