New Haval H6 tech specs will turn heads

GWM Australia has confirmed the new-generation Haval H6 will go on sale in the second quarter of this year carrying a generous local specification that’s sure to attract plenty of attention among Aussie buyers.

As carsales revealed last month, the Chinese car-maker recently received homologation approval for the 2021 Haval H6, paving the way for the all-important mid-size SUV to be launched here before mid-year.

Local pricing is still to be released, but GWM Australia has confirmed the new Haval H6 will offer a plethora of advanced driver-assist safety technology as standard across the range, including autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition and driver fatigue monitoring.

The company said the H6 will also offer a variety of headline-grabbing mod-cons in the cabin, such as wireless smartphone charging, an LED instrument cluster, 360-degree camera, heated steering wheel and a fully automatic parking system, making this “the most technologically advanced SUV in the brand’s history”.

As expected, the 2021 Haval H6 will be powered by an upgraded 150kW/320Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

It will be available in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations, the latter offering four different driving modes – Standard, Economy, Sports and All-Terrain.

The Haval H6 sits on a GWM’s LEMON global modular platform (an acronym for Lightweight, Electrification, Multi-purpose, Omni-protection and Network), and according to preliminary figures it measures 4653mm long and 1886mm wide.

Wheelbase is 2738mm, while front-drive variants will tip the scales at 1550kg.

These figures show the new model is both bigger and lighter than the previous H6, and GWM Australia claims it will be one of the largest contenders in the top-selling mid-size SUV class, “outsizing other models such as the Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5 and Hyundai Tucson”.

“The design and engineering teams that have produced this world-class SUV have done an outstanding job and there’s no doubt it will further elevate the status of the GWM Haval brand here in Australia,” said GWM Australia head of marketing and communications Steve Maciver.

“With sophisticated design and a feature-packed specification list, the new H6 is the definition of affordable luxury.”

The outgoing Haval H6 uses a 145kW/315Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine and a six-speed DCT, driving the front wheels only.

The current Haval H6 Premium in run-out is priced from $28,990 drive-away, $1000 below the normal manufacturer’s recommended retail price. The Lux version is listed at $33,990 plus on-road costs.