Based on the Menglong Plus, the new H7 will replace the current model that uses the Haval Big Dog as a base.
New H7 will be based on the Haval Raptor Menglong Plus. Picture: Charl Bosch
In a surprise announcement at the Kyalami Festival of Motoring this past weekend, Great Wall Motors (GWM) confirmed that the current Haval H7 will be replaced by an entirely different model wearing the same nameplate in the fourth quarter of the year.
Goodbye Big Dog, hello Raptor
A move that will bring an end to the Haval Big Dog-based H7 after less than two years, the new generation H7 will be based on the Raptor Menglong Plus that debuted in China in April this year.
Essentially a revised version of the normal Raptor that has been on sale in the People’s Republic since 2023, the South African variant is expected to be called H7 Plus, though this wasn’t confirmed at the Kyalami showpiece.
A model approved by GWM for South Africa in May this year, but at the time not as a replacement for the current H7, the newcomer, in China, can be had with either five or seven seats, with the final configuration for the local market still unknown.
Dimensions
Sharing its exterior design with the step-up H9, dimensional details, based on the Chinese domestic market Menglong Plus, are as follows:
- Length: 4 912mm;
- Wheelbase: 2 850mm;
- Height: 1 905mm;
- Width: 1 950mm
As a comparison, the current Big Dog-based H7 is 207mm shorter, 125mm lower and 44mm narrower. In addition, its wheelbase is also down by 40mm.
Plug-in hybrid
While no details were provided, apart from its time of arrival, what was noticed was the prominence of the Hi4 badge on the hinged tailgate.
As in China, the badge denotes GWM’s four-wheel drive plug-in hybrid system, which combines a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with no less than three battery pack options, as well as two electric motors.
Whereas the combustion engine develops 115kW/243Nm on its own, the entry-level 23.7-kWh battery powers a 70kW/160Nm motor on the front axle and a 150kW/320Nm unit at the rear for a combined output of 280kW/750Nm.
Paired to a two-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT), the model, called the 140 in China, has a claimed all-electric range, as per it name, of 140km based on the CLTC scale.
Moving up to the 195 brings a 33.7-kWh battery which, in combination with the same combustion engine and electric motors, develops 320kW/750Nm.
Hooked to the same DHT, the 195 has a claimed all-electric range of 195km, which falls to 192km when the seven-seat layout is opted for.
Finally, the 255 variant gains the 44.7-kWh battery pack for a combined 330kW/660Nm and a CLTC range of 255km and 252km in the case of the seven-seater.
Across all variants, GWM has limited the top speed to 190km/h, with respective 0-100km/h times of 6.2 seconds for the 140, six seconds for the 195 and 5.8 seconds for the 255.
For the respective seven-seat 192 and 252 models, the benchmark sprint times take one-tenth of a second longer.
More later
As it stands, GWM South Africa is yet to confirm the final specification and whether the “new” H7 will have five and/or seven seats.
The same also applies to the final price, which only be announced either before or at the H7’s launch in the final quarter of the year.
As a reminder, pricing for the current Big Dog-derived model starts at R604 950 and ends at R734 950.
