Haval has revealed the facelifted H6, but it may not be coming to South Africa.
The redesigned SUV was recently unveiled in China, where it is expected to go on sale before the end of the year; however, the company has made no statement regarding which international markets it will be brought to.
In Australia, outlets like CarExpert have reported that they are unlikely to receive the facelifted model, but will instead be getting a new vehicle intended to compete with the likes of the Toyota Rav4.
Comparable markets
The Australian market is often a good indication of whether or not South Africa will receive a particular car, as the two countries have comparable operating environments, as well as tastes in vehicles.
Both markets have a fondness for pickup trucks, what we know as bakkies here, and which are often referred to as “utes” in the land down under as a slang term for utility vehicles, which is why models like the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, and Isuzu D-Max find themselves in the list of best-selling cars in both countries.
Australia and South Africa’s geographic locations also dictate a similarity in available models, as India, China, and South East Asian nations such as Thailand and Malaysia are home to major car production and export industries, which account for a significant portion of the units that enter both markets.
Consequently, cars that are or are not introduced in Australia can often be a good indication of what South Africa can expect, right down to the specification list, due to the aforementioned similarities in taste between the two buyer landscapes.
For example, the third-generation Haval H6 was launched in Australia in May 2021, before making its way to the tip of Africa a month later in June.
Similarly, the Haval H6 HEV first appeared in Sydney in April 2022, while Cape Town would welcome the same model in September, and the sporty H6 GT would appear in both markets in July and September of the same year, respectively.
It’s the same story with something like the Jolion, where the HEV model appeared across the ocean in September 2022, before making its way over here in January 2023.
The same is true of other brands, like GWM and its battery-electric Ora hatchback, which was scheduled to launch in Australia in April but was delayed to July, and is expected to go on sale in South Africa in the next few weeks.
Goodbye H6
If the Australian reports are anything to go by, South Africa will not be getting the facelifted Haval H6, which means the SUV’s short run on the market may be coming to an end.
It’s too soon to say whether the manufacturer’s local branch has a replacement in the works and if these rumours turn out to be true, so, for now, it’s worth taking stock of what the H6 actually has to offer.
The current model is available with two powertrains, a 2.0-litre, turbocharged petrol plant with 150kW (155kW for the GT) and 325Nm, and a 1.5-litre, turbo-petrol hybrid with 179kW and 530Nm, with prices running the gauntlet from R484,750 to R669,950.
Depending on the trim, buyers gain access to equipment including keyless entry with push-button start, electronically-adjustable, heated, and ventilated front seats, wireless phone charging, dual-zone climate control, automatic LED headlights with daytime-running lights, rain-sensing wipers, rear park-distance control, hill assist, adaptive cruise control, smartphone pairing, a panoramic sunroof, a heads-up display, a 360-degree camera, and two digital displays measuring up to 10.25 inches for the instrument cluster and 12.3 inches for the infotainment – all of which can also be found on the Australian brochure.
The biggest difference between the old and new H6 shown in China is that the latter appears to have ditched its studded grille pattern in favour of a mostly sealed-off front end reminiscent of many electric cars.
Keyword: The new Haval H6 may not be coming to South Africa