Haval is pulling the pin on diesel offerings – and will only sell turbocharged petrol engines with automatic transmissions.
“The R&D experts at Haval have declared the future for the company will be powered by turbocharged petrol engines,” said Haval Australia chief marketing officer Tim Smith.
“In the very near future that will be complemented by a mix of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric powertrains.”
He said a recent Australian delegation to head office raised customer and media questions about diesel.
“The debate about diesel power was a long and robust one. Ultimately the future of that fuel has been decided by the market, the actions of other companies and a growing push for more stringent clean air policies,” he said.
“We have already seen reaction from markets like India, where the sale of vehicles powered by diesel engines greater than two litres in capacity have been banned since December last year.
“Our team of engineers made a clear case they believe the development of diesel engines had reached its zenith and the era of smaller, more fuel efficient petrol engines and powerful hybrid and electric engines was upon us.”
The company will also switch to robotic manual gearboxes.
“Continued development of automatic transmissions means they are not only less stress to drive, but also more efficient and easier to maintain.
“The new H6 SUV due to arrive here in September will come exclusively with a six-speed Getrag dual clutch transmission (DCT).
“The DCT in the H6 will combine the high efficiency of a manual transmission with sophisticated electronics to achieve a clear reduction in fuel consumption and emissions compared to traditional automatic transmissions,” he said.
“We left head office very excited by the future prospects for engine development and what it means for the Australian market.”
In addition, Haval has further rationalised its line-up by adopting an automatic transmission only policy for all future models.
“Australia has one of the highest proportions for automatic ownership so this is a welcome move for Australian customers,” said Smith.
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