Sporty new Haval H6S revealed

China’s most popular SUV brand, Haval, will broaden the appeal of its just-released new-generation Haval H6 mid-size SUV with a sporty coupe-style model known as the H6S.

Set to make its first public appearance later this week at the Chengdu motor show, the 2022 Haval H6S cuts a striking pose with an aggressive ‘Jaws’ front-end that’s designed to look like the gaping mouth of a shark.

Note the white ‘shark’s teeth’ colour-coding treatment to the front bumper, flanking the big mesh grille, while at the rear-end the sloping roofline is complemented by two rear spoilers and bold cut-outs for the dual tailpipes.

A shark’s fin antenna is also fitted, as you’d expect.

Cutting a niche into the mainstream SUV segment along similar lines to the smaller new Renault Arkana, the new Haval H6S is based on the same platform as the regular H6 and is a candidate for launch in Australia.

GWM Australia marketing chief Steve Maciver told carsales the Haval H6S was “something we’re definitely considering”.

“We certainly like what we see but it’s too early to say whether it’s coming to Australia,” he said.

There are no other confirmed details for the H6S, such as whether it will offer higher performance to match the predatory looks.

The current H6 is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine (150kW/320Nm) that drives the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

There’s also a plug-in hybrid H6 model confirmed for an Australian launch later this year, pairing a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine with an electric motor for a handy 179kW/530Nm.

The H6S cabin design shares many components with the regular H6, such as its ultra-wide 12.3-inch central touch-screen and 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster.

Obvious points of departure include the sportier trim and seat upholstery with hexagonal patterning.

Despite sharing the same wheelbase (2738mm) as the H6, the H6S is slightly longer, wider and taller, measuring 4714mm long (+61mm), 1940mm wide (+54mm) and 1729mm high (+5mm).

The Haval H6 has been China’s top-selling SUV for the past four years but in Australia it’s a minnow with just a 1.3 per cent share of the medium SUV segment (1223 sales year to date). The market-leading Toyota RAV4, by comparison, has a  24.4 per cent share (22,704 sales YTD).

The other new Haval SUV currently under consideration for Australia is the Haval Big Dog, while GWM Australia is also studying harder-core 4x4 off-roader models including the Tank 300 and the bigger Tank 600, the latter also making its debut at the Chengdu show.