√Haval H6 plug-in hybrid back on the cards for Australia

Chinese brand Great Wall Motors is set to expand its Haval H6 family SUV range with a plug-in hybrid version – following the popularity of the regular hybrid model.

GWM Haval has backflipped on plans not to sell a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the 2023 Haval H6 mid-size SUV – with up to 200km of claimed electric driving range – in Australia, Drive understands.

When the H6 PHEV was revealed in Thailand a year ago, Haval representatives told Drive the plug-in family SUV was not planned for local showrooms, instead favouring the conventional hybrid version.

Haval representatives said at the time the company was “watching” the PHEV market “with interest” should the regular hybrid be well received – and it appears it has been, as Drive understands the H6 PHEV may arrive in Australia before the end of 2023.

MORE: 2022 Haval H6 plug-in hybrid revealed with 201km electric range, but not for Australia

The hybrid has accounted for about 20 per cent of Haval H6 sales since it arrived in showrooms in mid 2022 – and it is believed to be facing more issues with stock shortages than petrol-powered H6 variants.

Pricing and final specifications are yet to be announced – and GWM Haval Australia is yet to even confirm the vehicle for local showrooms – but plug-in hybrids tend to be $10,000 to $15,000 more expensive than their petrol equivalents due to the extra cost of the electric motor, battery pack and plug-in recharging technology.

Given the top-of-the-range Haval H6 Ultra petrol costs from $39,990 drive-away – and a hybrid version costs $45,990 drive-away – the plug-in hybrid could cost in excess of $50,000 drive-away.

In various overseas markets, three versions of the H6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) are available – including one with a 34kWh battery pack, claimed to be capable of 201km of electric driving range.

While that’s testing to lenient NEDC lab protocols – rather than the more realistic, though still lab-tested WLTP standard used in Europe – it would be the longest-range PHEV on sale in Australia by a significant margin.

Fellow Chinese brand MG’s HS Plus EV claims 67km on NEDC, and a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV claims 84km NEDC.

It is also not far off the driving range claimed by some entry-level electric cars, including the 224km NEDC of Mazda’s MX-30.

The Haval H6 PHEV is also available with smaller 9.4kWh and 19.9kWh batteries in some countries, which translate to driving-range claims of about 55km and 110km respectively.

Power comes from a 113kW/233Nm 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine and 130kW/300Nm electric motor derived from the hybrid, which combine for claimed outputs of 240kW and 530Nm.

But as with the regular H6 Hybrid, the plug-in hybrid model is front-wheel drive – with no all-wheel-drive option available.

Those claimed power and torque figures would make the Haval H6 PHEV the most powerful front-wheel-drive car on sale in Australia – and the second-most potent in history, behind the 241kW/400Nm supercharged TRD version of the mid-2000s Toyota Aurion V6 family sedan.

For context, a standard Haval H6 Hybrid claims 179kW/530Nm, while the MG HS Plus EV plug-in hybrid quotes 189kW/370Nm.

The H6 PHEV looks identical to the standard hybrid, offers the same features, and has the same dual-screen interior.

Drive understands the 2023 Haval H6 Plug-in Hybrid could arrive in Australia towards the end of this year.

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