Great Wall readies new SUV

UPDATE 11/10/2013:

The X-series SUV will continue on sale in X200 diesel auto ESC form until the H6 auto arrives in about 12 months. There is no update to Great Wall's V-series ute.

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Chinese manufacturer Great Wall Motors has confirmed an all-new SUV for Australia early next year, but is no closer to introducing its VX10 light hatch here.

The H6 crossover – known as the Haval in China, where it is currently topping SUV sales charts -- is in its final stages of approvals for the Australian market.

When it arrives on sale here – in “early 2014”, according to Daniel Cotterill, the spokesperson for Australian Great Wall distributor Ateco Automotive -- the H6 is likely to be offered with a 1.5-litre bi-turbo four-cylinder petrol engine matched to a manual transmission.

Cotterill confirmed an automatic version will follow within 12 months and, when asked if there would be a diesel on offer, said “maybe”.

This leap into the burgeoning soft-roader market represents a change of pace for the pioneering Chinese brand, which in June 2009 became the first car-maker from the world’s most populous nation to launch in Australia. Great Wall’s initial ute offerings have since been joined by the Toyota 4Runner-based X-series SUV.

The H6 will eventually replace the X-series, with no further shipments of the petrol X240 due here because it lacks electronic stability control (ESC), which  becomes compulsory for all new cars sold nationwide with a compliance plate dated after November 1.

However, because it has ESC, the X200 diesel will continue on sale as Great Wall's diesel-auto SUV model until the H6 auto arrives.

Cotterill said the H6 will bring improved ride comfort compared to the outgoing X-Series, which was based on a truck-style body-on-frame design.

“This platform is a leap ahead, with monocoque construction,” he said. “It’s far more sorted to drive.”

When quizzed on the entry price for the H6, Cotterill said: “Hopefully, if the dollar holds, it will be under $22K.” That would make the H6 cheaper than both the X240 ($23,990 drive-away) and X200 ($26,990 drive-away).

Cotterill said Ateco is currently negotiating equipment levels with the factory, but indicated the brand’s sole SUV will be highly specified as standard.

“Typically, our formula is to cram as much in as standard, so you just have to say what colour you want.”

A new contender in Australia’s burgeoning mid-size SUV segment could be just what Great Wall needs to reverse an overall sales slump of more than 40 per cent so far this year, with the X240 down by more than 60 per cent and the X200 selling almost 35 per cent slower.

However, Cotterill confirmed that Great Wall’s long-awaited VX10 light hatch, for which Ateco received Australian Design Rule certification in October 2011, is a no-show for the Australian market and will remain that way until it is financially viable.

“We’re in the currency business as much as the car business” he said, indicating that the VX10 would not be profitable enough in Australia at current exchange rates.

Ateco’s other Chinese brand, Chery, will discontinue the J1 – one of Australia’s cheapest cars at $9990 drive-away – at the end of this month, when ESC becomes mandatory for all new cars.

Great Wall's V-series ute range continues to comprise single- and dual-cab V240 petrol and V200 diesel models, powered respectively by a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol motor matched to a five-speed manual or a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine paired with a six-speed manual. There is currently no automatic transmission on offer.

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