On August 21, 2026, the Chengdu International Auto Show opened at the Western China International Expo City. The Tank brand showcased several models, presenting the Tank 300 with a special Panda color scheme inspired by Chengdu. On the opening day, the brand initiated the “My Toy is a Tank” co-creation makeover plan, gathering hundreds of user modification plans within a few days.
Over its more than five years on the market, the Tank 300 has amassed nearly 600,000 users, with over 75% of them still being the first owner. The modifications displayed at the auto show included the black-and-white Panda theme, a retro-style version, and two-tone designs, among others.
In early 2026, the Tank brand launched the IoT ecosystem expansion plan for the Tank 300, providing factory-standard protocols for trunk power interfaces and standardized parameters for roof mounting points. In the third quarter of 2025, the brand introduced a digital archive system for user modifications, allowing owners to upload their modification plans to the official platform for technical review. At this year’s auto show, modifications included an outdoor kitchen module in the trunk, equipped with drawer stoves and a foldable sink; the rooftop tent, designed for quick detachment via standard interfaces, provided a 6kW external power supply for all campsite appliances. These scenarios were recreated based on user-uploaded modification cases.
The Tank booth presented a chassis cross-section model, showcasing the body-on-frame construction with high-strength trapezoidal beams offering torsional rigidity, and the power transfer path of the non-decoupling four-wheel drive system under single-wheel ground contact conditions is visualized. During a tri-party media test in the winter of 2025, the Tank 300 demonstrated its capability to extricate itself on a pulley with traction on only one rear wheel, with results showing 100% power transfer to the gripping wheel. The power matrix section displayed alongside models of three internal combustion engines: the 2.0T gasoline, 3.0T V6 gasoline, and 2.4T diesel, as well as cross-sectional models of the Hi4-T extreme off-road hybrid architecture and the Hi4-Z diverse off-road electric hybrid architecture. The Hi4-Z system, first equipped in the Tank 300’s facelift model in the second quarter of 2026, retains the mechanical four-wheel drive’s physical connectivity, adding electric drive assistance, reducing fuel consumption by about 30% in daily commute scenarios, and allows the electric motor to provide instant torque during low RPM gaps in off-road mode. The Tank 300 facelift model equipped with the Hi4-Z system achieves a pure electric range of 120 kilometers in daily commutes, with overall fuel consumption reduced by about 40% compared to the pure gasoline version.
In terms of scene expansion, the factory IoT ecosystem upgrades the vehicle from a simple transportation tool to a travel companion. The trunk is transformed into an outdoor kitchen, the rooftop tent becomes a bedroom, and the 6kW external power supply covers all campsite electricity needs, making wild camping a daily possibility. Using the new Tank 300 to tow a caravan, or carrying a motorcycle, turns family travel and life on wheels into a reality.
Using the Chengdu Auto Show as a new starting point, the Tank brand will continue to rely on systematic strength and user co-creation as a bridge, turning “tough yet tender” into every reliable departure and safe arrival. In the future, Tank will join more users in exploring the possibilities of Chinese off-road culture between urban and wild terrains.
This article is a translation by AI of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.