New GWM Haval H7 adds PHEV and all-wheel drive

GWM will launch an all-new Haval H7 in Australia in October, adding plug-in hybrid power and all-wheel drive as it targets multiple Toyota RAV4 variants.

GWM is preparing a fresh assault on Australia’s biggest-selling mid-size SUV, confirming an all-new Haval H7 will arrive in October with hybrid and plug-in hybrid power and a starting price below $50,000 drive-away.

It will sit alongside the H6, H6GT and forthcoming Jolion Max in a multi-pronged GWM Haval attack on the RAV4.

The new H7 arrives barely a year after the current model went on sale in Australia as a single Vanta hybrid priced at $46,990 drive-away.

More than simply a powertrain update, the new H7 is actually a different model. The outgoing Australian H7 is based on the second-generation Haval Big Dog sold in China, while its replacement is the Chinese-market Haval Menglong, also known as the Raptor, which GWM will rebadge as the H7 for Australia.

The old model combined a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and electric motor for combined outputs of 179kW and 530Nm, but sent power exclusively to the front wheels.

However, the replacement adopts GWM’s Hi4 technology across both its hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, bringing all-wheel drive to the H7 for the first time locally.

The addition of a PHEV is particularly significant given Toyota’s new-generation RAV4 has also introduced plug-in hybrid power to Australia, but at a considerably higher price.

The RAV4 XSE PHEV starts at $58,840 plus on-road costs in front-wheel-drive form, while the all-wheel-drive XSE PHEV is $63,340 plus ORCs and the flagship GR Sport PHEV costs $66,340 plus ORCs.

What is not yet clear is whether the H7 PHEV will join the hybrid in starting below $50,000.

The new H7 made its Australian public debut at the Everything Electric show in Sydney and retains the boxy, upright design philosophy of the existing model.

Australian powertrain specifications have yet to be announced, but the new H7 is sold in China as the Haval Menglong, or Raptor, providing some clues to what will be offered here.

Its second-generation Hi4 PHEV system combines a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine with front and rear electric motors, with outputs reaching 330kW and 750Nm in the flagship version.

Three battery sizes are offered in China, topped by a 35.43kWh pack delivering a claimed 200km CLTC or 151km WLTC electric range. Lesser versions use 18.74kWh and 27.54kWh batteries, with respective WLTC electric ranges of 81km and 115km.

GWM Australia has yet to confirm which of those configurations, if any, will be offered locally. More details will be announced ahead of the mid-October local launch.

GWM’s expanding model range is part of its stated push to become a top-five new-vehicle brand in Australia. It sits seventh through August 2026 with 39,747 sales, up 15.6 per cent year-on-year, although it remains more than 11,000 vehicles behind fifth-placed Hyundai.

The rapid replacement of the original H7 underlines the pace at which GWM is expanding and updating its Australian range.

“We see a real opportunity for the H7 in Australia. As well as being loaded with the latest technology, including Hi4, it broadens the appeal of the Haval range and gives customers another reason to consider GWM,” said Steve Maciver, Head of Marketing & Communications, GWM Australia & New Zealand.

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