Five stars for Haval H6s

NEW VARIANTS of GWM Haval’s H6 medium SUV – the upcoming H6 GT and recently launched H6 Hybrid – have scored 5-star ANCAP safety ratings. 

The top ratings come after the H6 petrol range nabbed a full five stars earlier this year. 

The Hybrid and GT variants both passed with flying colours, joining their petrol siblings with scores of 90% for adult occupant protection, 88% for child occupant protection, 73% for vulnerable road-user protection and 81% for safety assist.

Two additional tests were conducted to verify the H6 Hybrid’s safety merits, given its variant-specific high-voltage battery and associated electrical system, which it passed.

GWM attributes the score to a combination of its new global modular platform and rigid body structure, plus an array of active safety systems offered as standard across the range. 

The entire H6 range features autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian-, cyclist- and crossroads detection, lane-keep assist, lane departure warning, blind-spot detection and lane-change assist, forward-collision warning and traffic-sign recognition.

Following its crash-test assessment of the H6 in March, ANCAP praised GWM Haval for its advances in safety technology that kept up with the updated-for-2022 safety standards.

“This is an impressive achievement by GWM Haval,” said ANCAP chief executive officer Carla Hoorweg.

“This is GWM’s first new Haval SUV model to the Australasian market for a number of years. Delivering a 5-star vehicle, against ANCAP’s latest 2022 protocols, demonstrates the brand has kept pace with the latest ANCAP safety standards and consumer safety expectations.”

Haval’s soon-to-be-released H6 GT coupe-styled SUV is expected to hit showrooms next month (July), offering a sleeker and sportier high-end version H6, although, at the time of writing, pricing was yet to be confirmed by the Chinese importer.

Like its sibling variants, the H6 GT will be powered by 150kW/320Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Although it won’t be more powerful than other H6s, the GT will be equipped with Brembo braking systems and shod with Michelin rubber, so there should be real-world performance benefits for the coupe-styled SUV. 

On the other hand, the H6 Hybrid is already available for order in Australia and, at $46,990 drive-away, it’s the most expensive of the range, but still offers strong value for money. 

The H6 Hybrid is powered by a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine that works in conjunction with a two-speed 130kW electric motor for a combined 179kW/530Nm.

GWM’s two-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT), meanwhile, is designed to offer a driving experience that mimics a battery-electric vehicle.  

GWM Haval Australia says sales in 2022 are 11.4% ahead of the same period last year, but the company has plans to get that number closer to 50% during the second half of the year. 

The Chinese importer aims to achieve its ambitious sales targets through a combination of new model launches, such as the H6 Hybrid and H6 GT, as well as improved stock supply.