GWM moves away from electric only in the UK and introduces Haval cars

Up until now, GWM has only sold the Ora brand in the UK. That is set to change in 2025 with the introduction of the Haval brand to the British market, and in the process, dealers will be rebranded.

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In January of this year, GWM sold the 1000th Ora 03 electric hatchback in the UK. This follows the car’s launch in the market as the Funky Cat back in 2022. A glance at the GWM Ora UK website reveals the only car currently on sale is still the Ora 03 hatchback which in China is known as the Good Cat. The website, however, claims that the Ora 07, known in China as the Lightning Cat, is coming in 2024. Unless it makes a miraculous appearance in the next half month, that is highly unlikely.

From 2025, GWM UK will move to the ‘one GWM’ platform as used in many other countries in the world, including Australia. This will mean dealers will be rebranded from the current GWM Ora to simply GWM.

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Notably, the Haval brand will be introduced to the UK in early 2025. The first model is set to be the Haval Jolion Pro Hybrid SUV. This model is known in China as the Haval Chitu, a chitu being a red hare. The car is a hybrid (HEV) rather than a plugin hybrid.

Sales of the 1.5 turbocharged ICU version began in 2021. The hybrid joined the model range in 2022. Earlier this year, the Australian market version received a facelift, and it is likely that the specs for the UK version will be similar.

The Haval Jolion Pro Hybrid is a C-segment SUV and has dimensions of 4470, 1898, 1625 mm (l/w/h) with a wheelbase of 2700 mm.

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A naturally aspirated 1.5-liter engine with 70 kW power and 125 Nm of torque form the main power plant of the car. This is backed up with a 115 kW electric motor, which can provide 250 Nm of torque. The combined system has 140 kW of power and 375 Nm torque.

The Haval Jolion Pro Hybrid is equipped with a two-speed dedicated hybrid transmission. Fuel consumption in the Australian market is quoted as 5.1 L/100 km.

“This is the start of a new era for GWM in the UK, as we expand the product offering available to customers. With the introduction of Haval under the GWM umbrella, we are able to offer customers a very competitively priced, and well specified petrol hybrid car, for those that want to make their first step toward electrification,” said Toby Marshall, Managing Director of GWM UK.

GWM currently has five brands – ORA, Haval, Wey, Tank, and Poer. Outside China, their availability differs widely.

Source: GWM