SHANGHAI MOTOR SHOW: Haval reveals two concept SUVs
Concept B and Concept R take centre stage for Chinese SUV giant Haval, launching in Australia from JuneChina's most popular SUV brand, Haval, revealed a pair of concept vehicles at the 2015 Shanghai motor show, and also announced its assault on the Australian SUV market will begin in June 2015.
The Concept B and Concept R represent a new strategy for the Great Wall Motors-owned Chinese SUV champion Haval, with the B or 'blue' models to be pragmatic, sensible vehicles and the R or 'red' models more stylised, sporty and striking flagship vehicles.
The badges are coloured accordingly to inform buyers of their respective purpose and both vehicles will deliver "a strong sense of technology and are seamlessly connected to 4G networks" says Haval. Like many of its upmarket vehicles, the show car are expected to field a range of useful driver aids too, such as radar cruise control, blind spot and driver fatigue monitoring systems.
Understood to share the same platform, both concepts are around five metres in length, roughly the same size as the Toyota Prado-rivalling seven-seat Haval H9 production car, which will be the first vehicle to be offered in Australia in June, priced at around $45,000.
The H2, a compact SUV, is the other Australian-bound vehicle that Haval will launch in June, pitched as an entry-level model and expected to be priced between $20,000 and $25,000.
Getting back to the concept duo, both appear to be close to production-ready, and are likely to inform the brand's evolving design ethos – an important aspect if it hopes to crack mature markets such as Australia.
Because these vehicles are still concepts, it's too early to say if and when the production version will be offered in Australia, but it's certainly not beyond the realms of possibility.
Although no propulsion units have been mooted for the concepts, their five-metre length and expected (significant) weight will likely see the H9's 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6 drafted for active duty, producing 245kW/480Nm at its peak.
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