Haval H7 to be launched with hybrid power
GWM South Africa prepares to introduce its boxy new SUV later this month with three powertrain options.
After announcing last month that the new Haval H7 would launch in South Africa in October, Great Wall Motors (GWM) has now confirmed the date as October 22, reports the Citizen.
What to expect?
Replacing the current model that premiered two years ago, the new H7 not only changes generation, but model, as it will use the Chinese market Haval Raptor Menglong Plus as a base instead of the present-day Big Dog.
A model on-sale in China since 2023, the South African-market H7 will mirror the Raptor in being offered with petrol and self-charging hybrid powertrains, as well as a first-time plug-in hybrid.
Its public debut having taken place at the Kyalami Festival of Motoring in August, the H7 is expected to seat five and not have the seven-seat option as in Australia.
Dimensions
Extensively teased on GWM’s social media pages, the new boxier H7 will have the following dimensions:
- Length: 4 912 mm;
- Wheelbase: 2 850 mm;
- Height: 1 905 mm;
- Width: 1 950 mm
This makes it 207 mm shorter and 125 mm lower than the Big Dog-derived model, with its wheelbase being 40 mm shorter and its width 44 mm narrower.
Powertrain options
Up front, the H7 is likely to mirror the Australian versions on the new energy powertrain fronts, but not the combustion side, as this will, seemingly, be carried over from the outgoing model.
As such, expect the former to be the same 2.0 T-GDI unit with outputs of 170kW/380Nm. Drive is set to go to the front or all wheels once again through a nine-speed automatic gearbox.
On the hybrid side, the self-charging HEV will combine the smaller 1.5 T-GDI with a 1.53-kWh battery pack outputting a total of 182kW/670Nm.
An uptake of three kilowatts and 140 Nm over the outgoing H7 HEV, drive will go to the front wheels only through a Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT).
Finally, the plug-in hybrid will be marketed under the Hi4 banner and combine the 1.5-litre unit with a 33.7-kWh battery pack powering two electric motors.
The expected result is a combined 320kW/750Nm, an all-electric range of 137 km and an overall range of 844 km with the combustion engine included.
Arriving when?
Making its official launch on 22 October, final pricing and specs of the new Haval H7 are only expected at the unveiling.
However, expect a substantial premium over the Big Dog-based model currently stickered from R604 950 to R734 950.
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