Why Great Wall’s King Kong Cannon turns the humble pickup into a family all-rounder

Reviewed: ad hoc news Accessory & Components desk. Edited and checked on 2026-06-18, 00:15. Details in the imprint.

The Great Wall King Kong Cannon is one of those pickups you spot in traffic and instinctively follow with your eyes - huge grille, upright cab, a load bed that looks ready for bricks in the morning and bikes in the evening.

What the big pickup offers

The King Kong Cannon sits in Great Wall’s pickup lineup as a work-focused, value-oriented model below the fancier Poer, with a boxy, almost cartoonishly muscular look aimed at small businesses and young families alike.

In China it is offered in single and double-cab versions, with rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, and uses a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol or diesel four-cylinder engine paired with manual or automatic transmissions.

Everyday use and cabin feel

Open the door and you get a cabin that feels more like a straightforward SUV than a stripped-out work truck, with a broad dashboard, chunky steering wheel and a central touchscreen that frees the console from button clutter.

The plastics are hard and clearly chosen for durability rather than luxury, but the seats are wide and the driving position is high, which many buyers appreciate in crowded Chinese city traffic.

Loading, towing, hard work

The steel load bed is long and deep, with high side walls that keep loose materials or camping gear safely in place, and Great Wall offers accessories like bed liners and roll bars to tailor the truck to work or leisure use.

Depending on configuration, the King Kong Cannon is rated to tow and carry loads comparable to other one-tonne pickups sold in its class on the Chinese market, giving it enough muscle for construction sites and weekend trailers.

Price point and target buyers

On its home market the King Kong Cannon is pitched at an aggressive price level, undercutting more upmarket pickups and some imported rivals while still offering modern styling and basic comfort features like air conditioning and infotainment.

That mix of tough looks and relatively accessible pricing makes it particularly interesting for tradespeople who want a presentable company vehicle that can double as a family hauler after hours.

Where it falls short

Against established Japanese and American pickup brands, the King Kong Cannon still trails in areas like brand perception, long-term reliability data and the breadth of dealer networks outside China.

Advanced driver-assistance features and powertrain options are also more limited than on some global rivals that already offer hybrid or full-electric pickups, something Great Wall is addressing in other model lines first.

Company context and stock

Great Wall Motor Co Ltd has built much of its reputation on pickups and SUVs, and the King Kong Cannon shows how the group is trying to keep that segment fresh while shifting investment into hybrids and EVs in other product families.

Shares of Great Wall Motor Co Ltd (CNE100001S05) trade in Hong Kong, giving investors direct exposure to the company’s strategy in pickups like the King Kong Cannon alongside its newer electrified vehicles.

This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information without guarantee; prices and availability may change at short notice. No investment advice, no buy or sell recommendation. Stock-market transactions involve risks up to total loss.