Haval Jolion SUV spotted in Malaysia – Proton X50, Honda HR-V rival from China coming soon?

Might there be a new contender in the competitive B-segment SUV category arriving in Malaysia soon? It may appear that way, given this sighting of the Haval Jolion in the country. The SUV’s appearance in Malaysia comes shortly after it has been scheduled for launch in Thailand this month, and will do so as the third offering from the company after the Ora Good Cat and the larger Haval H6 SUV.

The Jolion follows in the footsteps of the H6 in using Great Wall Motors’ modular Lemon platform that allows for the use of electrified powertrains, such as in the Jolion Hybrid which premiered earlier this month. Suspension is by MacPherson struts in front and a torsion beam setup at the rear.

Here, the front end styling is of the regular Jolion rather than the Hybrid, where a different set of grille, front bumper as well DRL, indicator and headlamp assemblies are used compared to those of the electrified variant.

Rear bumper treatment on the Jolion sighted here is also different compared to that of the electrified variant in Thailand, where a slightly different design is used for its lower section. Up top, roof rails and a sunroof are visible on this example.

The electrified powertrain in the Jolion is comprised of a 1.5 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine and an electric motor producing 190 hp and 375 Nm of torque in combined outputs. For comparison, the rival B-segment hybrid SUV that is the Honda HR-V e:HEV produces 131 hp and 253 Nm of torque.

The Thai market launch for the Haval Jolion Hybrid will take place this month, where it is tipped to be priced between 800,000 baht (RM100,400) and 1,000,000 baht (RM125,500); this will see the B-segment SUV priced in Thailand below the H6, which is listed at 1,145,000 baht (RM143,700) in Thailand.