- The first GWM vehicles featuring locally-tuned ride and handling have landed in NZ dealerships.
- The Haval H6 HEV was tuned in Australia by former Holden handling guru Rob Trubiani.
- Trubiani joined GWM to oversee the AT-1 (At One) program to localise the ride and handling of GWM vehicles.
GWM has announced the arrival of the first vehicles in New Zealand featuring its AT-1 development philosophy, following the program's implementation in Australia. The strategy, pronounced "At One," is a long-term engineering approach designed to align vehicle performance with the specific terrain and driving conditions found across the Australia and New Zealand regions.
The AT-1 program is implemented under the gaze of the man largely responsible for making the Holden Commodore one of the best handling large family sedans to turn a wheel - Rob Trubiani.
Trubiani signed on to develop the Chinese brand's local offerings last year, and shortly afterwards GWM announced it had also taken up residence at his old employer's proving grounds at Lang Lang, where Trubiani has spent much of the last 30 years pounding around its various tracks and surfaces, tuning cars for local conditions.
GWM says the Trubiani-led AT-1 program focuses on "the continuous refinement of technical systems rather than one-time updates" and includes the calibration of ride and handling, enhancements to steering response, and the adjustment of advanced driver assistance and towing systems.
The Haval H6 was the first model to undergo this localised engineering process, and to address variations in powertrain and vehicle weight, Trubiani and his engineers developed five distinct tunes covering petrol, hybrid (HEV), and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variants. The technical development for the H6 included testing approximately 24 front damper configurations and 40 rear damper setups, alongside extensive steering calibration involving thousands of data points.
"The objective of the AT-1 philosophy is to create a more unified and intuitive driving experience, specifically tuned for New Zealand conditions," said Trubiani.
"The result is a more cohesive and assured character, with improvements evident across everyday driving scenarios. From enhanced ride compliance on uneven surfaces to more precise and consistent system responses, every element has been refined to contribute to a more resolved and capable vehicle."
According to GWM New Zealand Country Manager Cameron Thomas, the program aims to create a more consistent driving experience on uneven surfaces, with cars tuned and developed specifically for New Zealand and Australia, with both countries sharing many similarities in road texture and undulations.
"I am sure New Zealand customers will enjoy this this seamless "At One" driving experience starting with our class leading H6 product line up and beyond that can look forward to even more localised tuning coming to New Zealand" said Thomas said.
The AT-1 tuned versions of the Haval H6 HEV 2WD and HEV AWD are currently available at local New Zealand dealerships, with other configurations expected to follow shortly.
