Haval has unveiled a production version of the company’s first plug-in hybrid SUV at the Guangzhou Motor Show in China.
The all new P8 SUV – launched under the company’s eponymous WEY luxury brand – will go on sale in China in the first quarter of 2018.
Haval say the P8 will be used to spearhead the company’s charge toward sustainable fuel technology.
First seen at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, the P8 boasts a PHEV powertrain coupling the 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with electric motors on each axle. The combined power output of 250kW of power and 520Nm of torque will drive all four wheels via a six-speed dual clutch transmission.
It can accelerate the P8 from zero to 100 km/h in just 6.5 seconds, while also returning fuel consumption figures of 2.3 L/100km. The home charger, which runs off 220V, can fully charge the vehicle in just four hours. Maximum range on combined fuel will be 660 kilometres.
The P8 will come with numerous safety features as standard, including autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, lane change assist, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, 360-degree camera and a streaming rear-view mirror.
Haval Chairman Jack Wey said the imminent launch of the P8 represented a milestone in his journey to put luxury vehicles within reach of all consumers. He also announced the company was well on the way to becoming a leader in autonomous vehicles.
“Our XEV concept we showed at Frankfurt Motor Show has already reached an Level 3 level of automation and we are on target to reach Level 4 in the next two years,” said Wey.
Level 3 vehicles allow the driver to safely turn their attention away from driving tasks, with the vehicle capable of events such as emergency braking. It still requires a human presence to undertake duties/inputs if requested.
Level 4 does not require a human for any driving actions, with the car able to respond to any situation and guide itself to its destination.
“We have focused our resources on building the largest station for autonomous driving and intelligent interconnection in China, which will be in operation by the end of this year,” Chairman Wey said.
The first Haval models were introduced to the New Zealand market earlier this year. The current local Haval range includes the large H6 SUV and medium H2 SUV.
