Haval launches GT version of H6 SUV
Haval is readying a coupé-style GT version of the H6 SUV.
Haval plans to add a GT variant to the sales chart dark horse H6 SUV by July in Australia. Here's what's new for the H6 GT.
Haval H6 GT highlights
- Coupé roofline profile. The most noticeable change is that trailing rear roofline, which is vaguely reminiscent of the Aston Martin DBX's "ducktail". This radical change turns the H6 into a kind of sportback.
- Performance brakes and tyres. Underlining the H6 GT's sporty ambitions are a set of quality treads sourced from well-respected tyre-making giants, Michelin. Boffins have also bolted on a braking package from "stopping" specialists, Brembo. Haval notes these changes result in an advancement of control and performance for the driver.
- Exterior styling tweaks. Haval designers have given the GT a more sporting appearance all-around. At the rear, in addition to the obvious roofline reshaping, there are twin spoilers as well as dual exhaust tips. At the front, the eagle-eyed among you will spot it has a more assertive design to match the rest of the aesthetic enhancements. Stylists enlarged the H6 GT's front grille and complemented that with an additional air inlet below the bonnet's leading edge. Weirdly, a lot of these modifications are slightly obscured in the official press release photos, so we dug up a video that shows the car in greater detail.
It seems the H6 goes by the moniker H6S elsewhere.
- H6 GT seats and interior trim. Differentiating the GT from the standard H6 SUV are sports seats as well as GT-specific trim accents.
- Longer, wider, taller. To imbue the H6 GT with a more aggressive stance, Haval engineers have made it slightly larger. It has a 74mm longer body than the H6 SUV and the crossover is also 54mm wider. Interestingly, despite the sloping roofline, the car is now 5mm taller. Is that because it's lost some weight thanks to the recontouring of the body and the suspension now sits higher?
- Safety assists. The Haval H6 GT can boast a reasonably lengthy list of safety features. As standard, the model has autonomous emergency braking (AEB – with the ability to detect vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians), forward collision warning (FCW), lane keep assist (LKA), adaptive cruise control (ACC – with stop & go functionality) and lane departure warning (LDW). All in all, not a bad complement of active safety aids.
- Long warranty & roadside assistance. Helping further win over buyers, Haval's H6 GT will benefit from the same 7-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty as other models in the line-up. Included roadside assistance lasts for 5 years, while buyers can enjoy a 5-year capped-price servicing plan too.
- Shared platform with the H6 GT. At its heart, the H6 GT appears to share most of the underpinnings of the standard H6 SUV model. That means you get the same base interior tech and equipment, like a 10.25-inch driver's digital instrument screen and a 12.3-inch centre infotainment display. It also carries the 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine and 7-speed dual-clutch automatic that's dropped in the H6 SUV. It seems the peak power and torque figures of 150kW and 320Nm remain unchanged too. The wheelbase is also unaffected.
Haval H6 GT pricing & availability
Haval's press release states that the H6 GT will be on sale starting in the second quarter of this year. The Chinese carmaker also confirmed that a near-production prototype is currently driving Australian roads prior to the local debut.
That's all the details we have for now as pricing and finalised trim grade information will be shared nearer to the launch.
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Pictures: Supplied
