A long wait for new Havals

Thursday, 18 April 2019

One million cars sold every fortnight and often as many commercial vehicles.

China. Comfortably the world's biggest car market. Even though the US trade war and local car buying subsidies curtailing have caused a 5.8 percent slump, 22.3 million cars sold here last year.

Huge is the only word to describe Haval and its parent, Great Wall Motors. Respectively giants of the sports utility and one-tonne ute spheres and planning on becoming bigger yet.

The F7 is largely the same size as the H6 we get here, but gets way more tech.

Increasing a New Zealand market model spread currently comprising three Havals – H2 compact, H6 medium and H9 large - and the Great Wall Steed utility is on the cards.

**READ MORE:

* Are you ready for an electric ute from China?

* Does China's premium SUV cut it in New Zealand?

The Haval F7x was revealed at last year's Shanghai motor show as the Blue 03 concept (see video above).

* Quite surprising to be delighted by the Haval H9 SUV**

Visiting the brand in its home city of Baoding, two hours from Beijing, lent opportunity to try latest fare.

Driving a later generation H6 than the one we can buy, two like-sized models from the youth-aimed 'F' line – the Mazda CX5-ish F7 and F7x four-door coupe – and the larger, Ford Endura-like Wey VV7 was enlightening.

Learning, also, GWM might take its Ora electric vehicle brand international also piqued interest. The R1 petite city hatch is plainly budget. Yet a four-seater with a 35kW motor and 240km range that costs just NZ$15,400 in China does seem interesting.

Cute and incredibly cheap, the R1 electric city car costs just NZ$15,400 in China.

Same goes for talk of the Wey P8, a plug-in hybrid similar in sophistication to the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV but larger and very plush (Wey aims to be China's Lexus), coming as a Haval.

So, plenty to think about. Or, perhaps 'dream' is a better word.

The Wey - Haval's luxury brand - VV7 is powered by a 172kW version of the company's 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine.

None of these introductions are going to happen overnight. Some might not eventuate at all. And, certainly, we cannot have any of the products as they avail presently, because none are built in right-hand drive, nor will they be.

Haval's world plan has been so secondary to a push to fulfil domestic demand all the latest models are for home alone. And China is a left-hand drive market, so ….

No high speed driving for you. No road driving in China for a foreign journo with no local license either.

Because this outfit thinks in four-year model cycles, rather than in the industry-standard seven or eight, we were told it's more expedient to await the ones that come next rather than re-engineer anything produced right now. Even when they're vehicles that supersede stuff it sends to NZ? Afraid so.

Thus, while spokespeople were adamant we are going to see more product, they also impressed it won't come until 2021, as new gen variants on a new shared platform that better entertains left- and right-hand drive.

That's a shame. H6 has been a NZ stalwart; the edition tried in China would do well if we had it today. It's such a big step up on the one we get. Sharper looks, more smarts and the addition of an instantly appealing turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine and seven-speed direct shift gearbox.

In making 145kW and 345Nm, the smaller engine produces 21kW and 30Nm less than the 2.0-litre we know now but feels more eager at step-off, has good mid-range punch and marries to a better transmission than the current six-speeder. Economy of 6.8 litres per 100km would surely satisfy those critical of the 2.0-litre's weakness: Thirst.

The VV7, F7 and F7x also that seven-speed wet clutch direct shifter but with a common 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine, in different levels of tune. So the F7 pumps 145kW/345Nm, the F7x has 165kW/385Nm and the Wey delivers 172kW/360Nm.

These models also exude confidence in their look and appointment levels. F7x's rakish roofline makes for a slightly challenging rear seat egress, but once in it's as roomy as the F7 and VV7. Modern cabin environments with many latest appointments, including inductive phone charging pads and, yes, also Apple CarPlay appeal. Wey steps up all the more and VV7's features include a rear-view mirror that's actually a television screen, feeding a view from a tiny camera just under the rear spoiler.

Maybe it all comes down to the driving. On that scale, it's harder to get a good fix.

China's public roads are off limits to foreigners not holding a domestic licence and Haval's test ground, featuring gradients, rugged surfaces and a high-speed bowl could only be experienced from the passenger seat.

Our wheel time was restricted to a parade ground, taking on a coned slalom, with swerve sectors and zones for emergency braking; the latter too much for the VV7s' front stoppers, which surrendered in smoke and with a dashboard overheating warning indicator. Unrestricted driving, of a F7x, on a clear part of the area was wangled, but no hard impressions were formed.

You'd have to think this fare might be decent. GWM has lured engineers and designers from big European OEMs, invested billions into research and development and the 800,000 annual-capacity factory is highly automated.

Haval's New Zealand distributor is keen to get things moving. Chief operating officer Hidesuke Takasue told us the drop in domestic sales in China had jolted the brand.

'Last year was the first year that the Chinese industry dropped versus the previous year. The company is seriously seeking to develop the outside-China business.'

So the will is there. It's just the 'when' and 'what' we need to know more about. Even if we cannot have it all, it'd be good to have more than we get.