Haval might be the top-selling SUV brand in China, but it has some way to go to spread that sentiment across the globe.
This week in Beijing, Haval pulled back the covers from the newest member of its expanding SUV family, the mid-size H7.
Due on sale in Australia in the second half of 2017 -- making it more than a year away -- the H7 is claimed to be based on an all-new platform and will offer five- and seven-seat configurations.
As its name suggests, the H7 will slot into the Haval range below the H8, which is already on sale in Australia, and the H6 -- which will be the next Haval SUV launched Down Under, later this year.
Powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged direct-injection petrol engine producing 170kW of power and 355Nm of torque and fitted with a Getrag six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, the H7 is claimed to hit 100km/h in around nine seconds.
Haval Design Vice President Pierre Leclercq said: “It’s a very important vehicle for us and for the Australian market”.
“Australia is a very important market for us. It is one of our first export markets and we know how popular SUVs are with Australian customers.”
“The H7 is the latest example of how hard we are working to develop quality products that Australian customers will be proud to own.”
Inside, the H7 has a new TFT instrument panel and a 12-inch infotainment screen that sits in the centre of the dashboard.
Stepping up on safety, the H7 comes with autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, 360-degree camera, lane departure warning and forward collision warning.
“We’re very proud of this vehicle,” said Leclercq. “It continues the evolution of the Haval brand and it is another step up for us.
“We worked very closely with leading partners to deliver a lot of new technology that customers in Australia want, including new safety features and multimedia."
Full details including pricing and final specifications for Australia will be announced near the local launch of the vehicle.