Chinese brand Great Wall Motors is set to expand its Haval H6 family SUV range with a plug-in hybrid version, following the popularity of the regular hybrid model.
GWM Haval has backtracked on plans not to sell a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the 2023 Haval H6 Midsize SUV – with up to 200 km declared electric driving range – in Australia, Handle understands
when the H6 PHEV was revealed in Thailand a year ago, Haval the representatives said Handle the plug-in family SUV was not intended for local showrooms, favoring the conventional hybrid version instead.
Haval representatives said at the time that the company was “watching” the PHEV market “with interest” in case the regular hybrid was well received, and it appears it has been, as Handle understands that the H6 PHEV may arrive in Australia before the end of 2023.
The hybrid has accounted for around 20 per cent of Haval H6 sales since it hit showrooms in mid-2022, and is believed to face more problems with stock shortages than petrol-powered H6 variants.
Final pricing and specifications have yet to be announced, and GWM Haval Australia has yet to confirm the vehicle for local showrooms, but plug-in hybrids tend to be $10,000 to $15,000 more expensive than their petrol equivalents due to at the additional cost of electricity. motor, battery and plug-in recharging technology.
Since the top-end gasoline Haval H6 Ultra starts at $39,990 per car, and a hybrid version starts at $45,990 per car, the plug-in hybrid could cost upwards of $50,000 per car.
In various foreign markets, three versions of the H6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) are available, including one with a 34kWh battery pack, said to be capable of 201km of electric range.
While that’s proof of the lenient NEDC lab protocols, rather than the more realistic, though still lab-tested, WLTP standard used in Europe, it would be the longest-range PHEV on sale in Australia by a significant margin.
The HS Plus EV from the Chinese brand MG claims 67 km at NEDC, and a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV claims 84 km NEDC.
It’s also not far from the driving range claimed by some entry-level electric cars, including Mazda’s 224km NEDC MX-30.
The Haval H6 PHEV is also available with smaller 9.4kWh and 19.9kWh batteries in some countries, which translates to ranges of around 55km and 110km respectively.
Power comes from a 113kW/233Nm 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine and a hybrid-derived 130kW/300Nm electric motor, which combine to produce claimed outputs of 240kW and 530Nm.
But as with the regular H6 Hybrid, the plug-in hybrid model is front-wheel drive, with no all-wheel drive option available.
Those claimed power and torque figures would make the Haval H6 PHEV the most powerful front-wheel drive car on sale in Australia, and the second most powerful ever, behind the 241 kW/400 Nm supercharged TRD version of the Toyota Aurion. mid-2000s. V6 family sedan.
For context, a standard Haval H6 Hybrid claims 179kW/530Nm, while the MG HS Plus EV plug-in hybrid quotes 189kW/370Nm.
The H6 PHEV looks identical to the standard hybrid, offers the same features and has the same dual-screen interior.
Handle understands the 2023 Haval H6 plug-in hybrid it could arrive in Australia later this year.
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