Hybrid all-wheel drive expected for Aussie-bound Haval H7

All-wheel drive is shaping as a core component of the new Haval H7 medium SUV’s Australian lineup.

At one stage tipped to launch here only as a front-wheel-drive petrol-electric hybrid, carsales expects a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol all-wheel drive will debut at the same time in the third quarter of 2025.

And later, the five-seat SUV lineup will be joined by a new all-wheel-drive Hi4 hybrid powertrain, which will aid Haval in its fight against the class-leading Toyota RAV4, which comes in front- and all-wheel-drive hybrid forms.

Until now, the Hi4 brand name has been reserved for plug-in hybrids, which are all-wheel drive.

The new Hi4 plugless hybrid system utilises a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and two e-motors.

It is forecast to replace the GWM front-wheel-drive hybrid setup in time.

The Hi4 AWD is an upgrade that was revealed by Haval’s parent GWM at the Shanghai auto show.

The first Haval model to feature the Hi4 AWD powertrain will be the new-generation H6 medium SUV in the fourth quarter of this year.

It will follow orthodox and FWD H6 models to market, as they launch in the second quarter as part of a massive GWM roll-out of Haval, Cannon and Tank models in Australia in 2025.

The H7 AWD hybrid is expected to arrive in 2026, when at least another seven new GWM models are launched here.

The Wey Blue Mountain (rebadged as a Haval) and the Haval Raptor/Menglong are also both chances to be on the yet-to-be-confirmed 2026 list.

GWM Australia has solid hopes for the H7, which is known as the ‘Big Dog’ in China. It shares its architecture with the H6 but shrouds that in a more squared-off body.

While H6 will be the mainstream seller with a wider variety of models, the H7 will be expected to add incremental sales in Australia’s biggest new vehicle segment.

GWM Australia expects it to appeal to an audience seeking a more adventurous-looking vehicle.

“It comes back to that strategy of choice, offering customers something a little bit different in that mid-size segment,” GWM Australia marketing chief, Steve Maciver, told carsales earlier this year.

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