Great Wall Motors (GWM) is the next Chinese carmaker attempting to penetrate the Japanese ASEAN fortress that is Thailand. GWM took over General Motors’ Rayong plant in the country’s eastern seaboard last year, after the American carmaker exited the region. The company’s third overseas full-process vehicle plant has a planned capacity of 80,000 units per annum and will serve the Thai domestic market as well as ASEAN, Australia and South Africa, among other right-hand-drive export destinations.
GWM will put on a show at the Bangkok
International Motor Show that opens to the media tomorrow (it’s the first time
we’re skipping BIMS in a long time, no thanks to the new normal) and it
includes a world debut of the Haval H6 Hybrid. The Haval H6 is an existing SUV,
and what’s new here is the hybrid powertrain. Measuring 4,653 mm long and 1,886
mm wide, the neat-looking Haval H6 is about the size of a Honda CR-V, but just
a touch larger (30 mm longer, 31 mm wider) in footprint.
Built on the Lemon modular platform, the
H6 is offered with a choice of two turbocharged four-cylinder engines in China
– a 1.5L unit with 166 hp/285 Nm and a 2.0L with 208 hp/325 Nm. Both get a
seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, with the 2.0L available with a Haldex AWD
system. The H6 Hybrid that will get its first showing at Impact Muang Thong
Thani will also have a 1.5T DCT combo, but an electric motor boosts overall
output to 243 hp and 530 Nm of torque.
The handsome Haval is expected to get kit
such as leather upholstery, electric front seats, head-up display, dual-zone
climate control, rear air con vents and a panoramic glass roof. The minimalist
and rather classy-looking dashboard integrates a rotary gear selector and
freestanding 10.25-inch instrument and 12.3-inch infotainment displays. There
will also be Level 2 autonomous driving ADAS features and auto parking with 360-degree
cameras.
The Thai-market Haval H6 Hybrid will be
made in Rayong, and deliveries are scheduled to start in June.
