GWM’s mid-size SUV gets a fresh design and PHEV all-wheel drive
GWM Australia has unveiled its ‘all-new’ redesigned Haval H7 today at the Everything Electric show, at Sydney Olympic Park, which is “set to launch at under $50K” in plug-in ‘Hi4’ all-wheel-drive guise.
Confirming that the revamped H7 is set to launch locally next month, in October, GWM Australia promises to reveal broader details and exact specifications “next week” following the EV-centric event.
The new H7 fits the efficiency-focussed, on-road-centric ‘Hi4’ plug-in all-wheel-drive powertrain rather than the more mechanically-based, off-road-friendlier ‘Hi4 T’ PHEV system due in the Cannon ute.
The Hi4 design can operate with all-electric all-paw drive or parallel petrol-electric drive. And while it’s expected the H7 will offer a variety of all-terrain drive modes, it won’t offer the electromechanical differential locks and transfer case fitted to its Hi4 T stablemates.
It’s mostly likely that, given the H7 PHEV’s mooted pricepoint, the Australian powertrain (and broader) specification will likely closely align with that of the existing Haval H6 Ultra PHEV AWD, which is priced from $50,990 driveaway.
For reference, the ‘Hi4’ all-paw H6 SUV combines a 80kW/170Nm front and 150kW/350Nm rear motor (19kWh battery) with 110kW/240Nm of 1.5-litre turbo petrol drive for combined outputs of 268kW and 760Nm.
In China, where the new H7 is called the Haval Raptor, it’s offered with up to 330kW and 750Nm. Here, a 35.4kWh battery is offered with a claimed 151km of range under the WLTP cycle.
However, the version Chasing Cars tested during our first international drive of the Raptor was specified with 282kW from its 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol four-based powertrain fitted with a 27kWh battery. It demonstrated around 100km of pure EV driving range on test.
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