Chinese car are notoriously known for their poor interior build quality/styling and design, resulting in overall poor performance – from low quality engines to shaky gear boxes and airbags (think of the reputationally damaging 2013 and 2017 VW global recalls), and faulty fuel pumps, you name it.
However, looking at some of the hot-selling made-in China car models of late (namely Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y, both which are said to be better in build and performance than their US versions – as reported in this article), it’s clear the Chinese are doing everything they can to rid itself of this unflattering reputation, a move which slowly sees them square up against the more iconic Western counterparts.
Undeniably, the one name that immediately comes to mind is Haval, which is fast growing in popularity in a market that has long been dominated by the Germans and Japanese.
As seen with Haval’s impressive latest offering, the 3rd generation Haval H6, which appears to tick all the boxes when it comes to innovation safety and more sophisticated interior build quality, China is well on its way to ditching the reputation as the bad guy of car manufacturing, and South Africans are here for it!
3rd-Gen Haval H6; all the major talking points
While some of the most recent models (H2, Haval Coupe, and Jolion) were significantly credited for raising the profile of both the Haval brand and its mother company Great Wall Motors, and at large of Chinese car makers, the all new Haval H6 is punching above its weight, and is having everyday South Africans cheering for them in their corner – well, that’s if some of the recent glowing reviews are anything to go by.
As one South African Twitter user below indicated, it’s definitely hitting the sweet spot with SUV lovers of all ages, in particular those in a market for not only a reliable, new midsize SUV, but one that spots “premium” design aesthetic. Likewise, the new Haval H6 is so ridiculously good looking, it’s even been likened to Porsche (the Macan in particular) and BMW X6 (well, that’s an argument for another day).
With its luxurious interior build and solid drive-train, they have it competing with car brands such as Mazda (CX5) and Toyota (RAV4), both which have long been household names in South Africa.
In terms of safety, we are also told it’s the only SUV in its class that can activate AEB in every possible scenario you can think, whether it’s detecting pedestrians, cyclists and traffic intersections (that’s in addition to up to seven airbags on board) – which explains why it recently was awarded C-NCAP 5 star rating,
The price point is probably its biggest selling point, with top of the range, all-wheel ‘Ultra’ grade, with all the bells and whistles, coming in at R514 000.
Available in SA in three derivatives – with four-cylinder turbo petrol engine in all of them – the entry level, called the Premium and is available in front wheel drive only (but also comes with heated front seats and steering wheel, 360-degree camera and spectacular panoramic sunroof among other features), starts as low as R419 000 – yes, that’s not a typo.
In today’s economy, this is without doubt a big bang for the buck. It’s no the wonder Haval H-series is fast emerging as a go-to mid-size SUV for South African consumers, with a total of 1500 vehicles sold a month – that’s apart from the double growth in revenue and net profit reported in 2020 alone globally.
Better still, Haval H6 global sales exceeded 3.5 million units and ranks the top SUV sales in China for 11 consecutive years since 2009.
Conclusion
Judging by the overwhelmingly positive reviews by South Africans, it’s clear that the new Haval H6 is going to cause chaos when it lands on our shores…watch the space.
Bravo to the folks at Great Wall Motors, in particular creative designer Phil Simmons (formerly with Jaguar Land Rover), who clearly did his homework and understood that in order to pull the Huawei move on the automobile industry to the tee, they needed to take consumers needs to heart; delivering in end, a perfect combination of unique aesthetic identify and powerful performance within the mid-slze SUV market, with competitive prizing at heart of its strategy.
To every prospective owner of the new Haval H6, good luck finding one though. With a shortage of chips globally, you might have to wait a bit longer in order to sit behind the wheel of your sexy, new baby.
Gen-3 Haval H6; What people say / Twitter SA reaction
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