New Haval SUV debuts with next-gen plug-in hybrid tech

Great Wall Motor (GWM) has debuted the latest Haval SUV at the Shanghai Auto Show today, introducing us to the next-generation of its plug-in hybrid (PHEV) technology.

Known as the B07, the Chinese carmaker has elected the model as the first to use its new Hi4 platform, which stands for ‘hybrid intelligent four-wheel drive’.

It’s worth mentioning that its name is what GWM internally refers to the model as, since an English name has yet to be decided on.

The medium-sized SUV boasts a fuel economy of 5.5 litres per 100km with its overall range coming to 1200km+. A fully electric range of 105km is also achievable.

This is thanks to the combination of a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and two electric motors which generate a total output of 205kW and 585Nm of torque.

GWM also mentions the hybrid technology works differently from its competitors because when the 20kWh battery pack runs out of juice, it can still function as a normal “unplugged” hybrid. That’s also why the brand prefers to call the new SUV an “EV+” instead of a PHEV.

“We did lots of surveys across different consumers in many countries. One of the educational barriers is that most people are just not used to charging the vehicles like their phones. But with the GWM B07 ‘EV+’, even when customers forget to charge their cars, they still get the efficiency as a normal unplugged hybrid,” says the chief product leader of the B07.

With regard to its design, GWM decided to keep the B07 relatively “mainstream” looking but injected a bit of EV-ness into its appearance which is exemplified by its smoothed off front end.

As for the interior, the dashboard is made up of two 12.3-inch digital displays with one running the infotainment and the other acting as the instrument cluster. A 10-inch head-up display also sits in front of the driver while the passenger is treated to their own screen too.

Boot space comes to 551 litres and can grow to 1377 litres when the second row of seats is folded down.

Dimensions of the new Haval SUV are 4758mm in length, 1895mm wide, and 1725mm tall, while the wheelbase is 2800mm.

The new plug-in hybrid Haval SUV is slated to go on sale in May 2023 in China before it gets introduced to global markets.