After the relative success of MG, Great Wall Motors (GWM) is the next Chinese carmaker attempting to penetrate the Japanese ASEAN fortress that is Thailand.
GWM took over General Motors’ Rayong plant in the country’s eastern seaboard last year, after the American carmaker exited the region. The company’s third overseas full-process vehicle plant has a planned capacity of 80,000 units per annum and will serve the Thai domestic market as well as ASEAN, Australia and South Africa, among other right-hand-drive export destinations.
GWM will put on a show at the Bangkok International Motor Show that opens to the media tomorrow (it’s the first time we’re skipping BIMS in a long time, no thanks to the new normal) and it includes a world debut of the Haval H6 Hybrid. The Haval H6 is an existing SUV, and what’s new here is the hybrid powertrain.
Measuring 4,653 mm long and 1,886 mm wide, the neat-looking Haval H6 is about the size of a Honda CR-V, but just a touch larger (30 mm longer, 31 mm wider) in footprint.
Built on the Lemon modular platform, the H6 is offered with a choice of two turbocharged four-cylinder engines in China – a 1.5L unit with 166 hp/285 Nm and a 2.0L with 208 hp/325 Nm. Both get a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, with the 2.0L available with a Haldex AWD system.
The H6 Hybrid that will get its first showing at Impact Muang Thong Thani will also have a 1.5T DCT combo, but an electric motor boosts overall output to 243 hp and 530 Nm of torque.
The handsome Haval is expected to get kit such as leather upholstery, electric front seats, head-up display, dual-zone climate control, rear air con vents and a panoramic glass roof. The minimalist and rather classy-looking dashboard integrates a rotary gear selector and freestanding 10.25-inch instrument and 12.3-inch infotainment displays. There will also be Level 2 autonomous driving ADAS features and auto parking with 360-degree cameras.
The Thai-market Haval H6 Hybrid will be made in Rayong, and deliveries are scheduled to start in June. GWM will also be bringing its cute Ora Good Cat electric car to BIMS.
What do you think of the Haval H6? Miles away from the H1 that Malaysians are familiar with, it’s stylish, the design has restraint and it’s not one of those Chinese designs that forces you to play spot the influence. How would the H6 do in Malaysia if price around the Proton X70?
GALLERY: Haval H6 
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