Haval tunes in to local conditions

Australian road conditions are unique and Haval is the latest vehicle importer to turn to setting up its vehicles’ suspension locally, following in the footsteps of Hyundai and Kia.

According to Haval Australia chief marketing officer Tim Smith, Haval wants to partner with 4WD suspension and accessory firm Ironman 4x4 to not only provide a dealer-fit 50mm suspension lift kit for its large H9, but also to send suspension tuning data back to China to ensure all models sold here get a dedicated Aussie suspension tune.

“There are two main objectives; the first one is to develop a local road and handling package for all our models, not just H9,” he said.

“Some of the feedback and initial analysis by Ironman is very positive, and we can make some huge gains quickly and very simply with consultation with Ironman, the local subsidiary and our R&D team in China.

“On top of that, Ironman would like to also provide a specific H9 suspension upgrade that we would like to make a fitment that can be done at any dealership. That will have advantages that will be for people who not just use the H9 for A-to-B motoring, but to go off-road with it.”

Haval also wants to lift its options menu, especially for the H9, a full-size off-road SUV aimed directly at Toyota’s Prado.

“We’re looking to expand our range of accessories across the board, specifically looking to take H9 up a notch – our competitors are very good in that area. Without volume it hard for some of the larger aftermarket accessory suppliers to develop stuff for us, so we’re very lucky to have Ironman want to partner with us.”

Aside from expanding the H9’s accessories to include off-road accessories such as bullbars and snorkels, Smith said Haval wants improve the H9’s towing capacity.

“We’re looking at a couple of options, one of them is with Ironman. Ironman’s objective is to not just provide a more robust suspension kit that can tailor for the more serious off-roader but also one able to give customer a bit more flexibility with towing.

“At 2.5 tonne, we’re just at the median side of towing capacity. We’d like a stronger towball weight, so Ironman’s going to help with that. The right suspension package will increase that.”

The updated H9 due in November will also see not only a better towball download capacity, but better towing capacity overall, according to Smith.

“With the new H9 coming at the end of the year, the new engine and transmission also adds to the towability of the car; we’re also working with a few suppliers to supply a stronger towbar assembly that will help with not only towball download but also overall capacity. I can’t tell you too much about it, because the tests aren’t finished yet, but we’ like to increase it.”

While the current H9 has a Prado-like 2500kg maximum towing capacity, it only has a 100kg maximum Tow Ball Mass (TBM).

This follows the European TBM convention of four-to-five per cent of maximum towing capacity, rather than the Australian norm of 10 per cent – which drastically cuts what the H9 can legally tow here.

“I think we’re going to struggle to get to that [10 per cent TBM],” said Smith, adding that “I think that what you’ll find is that we’ll get a lot more than we’ve got.

“We’re at about five per cent at the moment, but – particularly with the suspension upgrade – we’re looking to increase the capacity by at least 100kg. If we can do that I think that we’ve been a major success. I think that puts us up to small to medium-size single-axle trailer boat and good-size caravans.”

While Haval has yet to sign off on the partnership with Ironman 4x4, Smith acknowledged that the agreement would kick-start an all-important accessories range for Haval Australia.

“We understand that customisation of SUVs and 4WDs is very strong in Australian market, and we’re a small operation starting up so we need to partner up with the right suppliers to achieve that.

“Ironman have been very easy to work with and we’re keen to forge a strong partnership with them.”