Don't want to wait for the Toyota RAV4 hybrid? The 2022 Haval H6 hybrid is built to compete and will hit Australian dealerships soon.
Haval H6 Hybrid is the most powerful production hybrid among competitors.
Haval has entered the hybrid SUV battle with its midsize H6, which claims to be the most popular SUV in the country.
The H6 Hybrid is priced at $44,990, which is a little more than the starting price of some of its main competitors.
From launch, however, it will only be available in one special model class, Front-Wheel Drive (FWD) Ultra.
The Toyota RAV4 hybrid range starts at $36,800 before on-road costs (BOC) for the GX FWD and tops out at $52,320 for the all-wheel drive Edge (AWD).
The Subaru Forester hybrid is offered in two grades ranging from $41,390 to $47,190 BOC.
The only other hybrids in the mainstream mid-SUV segment are plug-in hybrids, including the H6's biggest competitor, the MG HS PHEV, which starts at $47,990.
There's also the highly anticipated Ford Escape PHEV ($53,440), the previous generation Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV ($47,990-$56,490), and Peugeot's pricey PHEV ($3008).
The H6 Hybrid was expected to hit showrooms before the end of last year, but that has been delayed and will now hit dealers in the coming weeks.
A spokesman for GWM Haval Australia told CarsGuide that deliveries of the H6 Hybrid will be relatively stable after its launch.
This is in contrast to the RAV4, which currently waits 12 months for delivery to a customer.
The stock or "self-charging" hybrid powertrain uses a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine paired with a 130kW electric motor for a total system power of 179kW and 530Nm.
It is the most powerful production hybrid in the segment, surpassing the RAV4 (131kW/221Nm) and Forester (110kW/196Nm), but the MG HS plug-in outperforms it (187kW).
Haval's claimed fuel economy of 5.2 liters per 100 km is better than the regular H6 FWD (7.4L) petrol model, and it outperforms the hybrid Forester (6.7L) but cannot beat the RAV4 (4.7L).
The H6 has some subtle styling changes to differentiate it from the petrol variants, including a new front grille, rear center brake lights, and different door trim.
Standard equipment includes 19-inch alloy wheels, heated and ventilated front seats, heated leather steering wheel, wireless device charging, 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, 12.3-inch media screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, auto-dimming rear seats. view mirror, head-up display, panoramic sunroof and electric tailgate.
In terms of safety, it includes automatic emergency braking (AEB) with cyclist and pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition , rear cross traffic alert, driver fatigue monitor, 360-degree camera and automatic parking.
