Facelifted GWM Haval H6 revealed

A facelifted GWM Haval H6 has broken cover in China, but the upgraded mid-size SUV won’t be sold in Australia.

Instead, the existing Haval H6 will soldier on until its all-new replacement arrives within a couple of years, and carsales understands the next-generation H6 will almost certainly be based on the GWM Haval B07 concept revealed at the 2023 Shanghai motor show in April.

The timeline for the next-gen GWM Haval H6 is still a little hazy, but as Chinese auto brands continue to evolve their product offerings and shrink traditional model life cycles to less than five years, the H6’s high-tech replacement could arrive here by 2025.

Known as the Xiaolong Max PHEV, the GWM Haval B07 is the firm favourite to replace the H6, which has been on sale in Australia for around two years, and it’s understood to be the preferred replacement by most mature export markets.

Based on a new Hi4 hybrid platform architecture and powered by a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine backed by up to two electric motors fed by a 20kWh battery pack in a plug-in hybrid powertrain, the B07 concept is said to be good for just over 100km of pure electric driving and a combined range of 1200km.

Featuring an upmarket interior design with three large digital displays spanning the entire dashboard, plus twin wireless smartphone chargers, the GWM Haval B07 is about 105mm longer than the current H6 and, combined with a 22mm longer wheelbase, it should provide more interior space as well.

As far as the facelifted China-only Haval H6 goes, it sports a progressive new design and is slightly longer and wider than the current model, which has been selling up a storm in Australia and fast becoming a bona-fide rival for established models like the top-selling Toyota RAV4.

The GWM Haval H6 already outsells the Honda CR-V and is nipping at the heels of the Kia Sportage so far in 2023, when H6 and H6 GT ‘coupe’ models are combined.

You may have noticed more unfamiliar cars driving around Australian – and international – roads and that’s because Chinese auto brands are accelerating their product development programs and investing heavily in new global models in an effort to grow their export volumes.

GWM brands including Haval have been growing their market share in Australia through sharp drive-away pricing, a strong seven-year warranty and five years of road-side assistance.

The GWM juggernaut is also in the midst of launching two new marques Down Under, the Tank off-road brand and the Ora EV brand.

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