Great Wall Motors (GWM) has announced its relaunch in the Philippine market. The automaker’s reentry into the Philippine market comes after it announced its partnership with the Luxuriant Automotive Group, Inc. (LAG) last year. LAG will serve as GWM’s local distributor.
LAG is led by its president, Ruben Tan, while Tonette Lee, an industry veteran, will take the reins as the GWM’s marketing manager.
GWM aims to make a significant impact by previewing two hybrid crossovers under its Haval sub-brand in an exclusive event, namely the Haval Jolion and the Haval H6. These two models are designed to cater to modern passenger vehicle customers with their sleek exterior designs and advanced features.
The Haval Jolion and H6 have similar dimensions, though the former’s a bit smaller than the latter. They have distinguishing features from each other, carrying intricately patterned grilles, aggressive LED headlamp clusters, and sharp and angular details.
In addition, a nine-inch heads-up display will be fitted in both models with high readability and configurable to use different colors. These two models will be equipped with dedicated hybrid transmissions and might also have four driving modes, an electronic parking brake, and even launch control.
The Haval H6 is expected to be more powerful than the Jolion as it will be equipped with a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine paired with an electric motor that can produce up to 240hp and 530Nm of torque. The Jolion, on the other hand, uses a 1.5-liter inline-4 paired with an electric motor, capable of producing up to 186 horsepower and 375 Nm of torque.
GWM’s emphasis on safety and advanced features can be seen in the 360-degree panoramic view camera that will be made available in both models. The company touts both cars that have up to 12 advanced driver-assistive safety (ADAS) features and a total of 14 radars and five exterior cameras for enhanced safety.
GWM has yet to confirm the final specs for both the Haval H6 and the Haval Jolion, including the pricing and available variants. In the exclusive preview event at the Batangas Racing Circuit, a non-hybrid variant of the Jolion was available for testing. However, the company said that it’s still studying the market to see if this variant will be offered as well.
GWM’s popular pickup truck in China, the Cannon, also made an appearance at the said event hosted by the company. The nameplate is being sold globally, including the truck-crazed Australia where it almost entered its market’s top ten selling trucks. The Cannon is one of the best-selling trucks in China, as claimed by GWM at the presentation during the preview event.
“Working with Great Wall Motor, we will leverage its product lineup strengths, and we would like to launch SUVs, pickup trucks, and other popular categories in the Philippines,” according to LAG president Ruben Tan during the company’s initial partnership announcement with GWM.
It is highly likely that the models mentioned here will be showcased at the 2023 Manila International Show (MIAS), happening in April. GWM is one of the car brands that will make an appearance at the said event.