HAVAL pulled the covers back on its latest SUV – the exciting new H7 – at the Auto China Exhibition in Beijing this week.
Due to arrive in Australia in 2017, the H7 offers five or seven-seat configurations and represents a new level of luxury and technology for the company.
"It's a very important vehicle for us and for the Australian market," said HAVAL Design Vice President Pierre Leclercq.
"Australia is a very important market for us. It is one of our first export markets and we know how popular SUVs are with Australian customers."
"The H7 is the latest example of how hard we are working to develop quality products that Australian customers will be proud to own."
Built on an all-new platform, the H7 slots between the H8, which is already on sale in Australia and the H6, which will arrive later this year.
A 2.0-litre turbocharged direct injection petrol engine will power the H7, producing 170kW of power and 355Nm of torque, matched to a Getrag six-speed dual clutch transmission that can propel the H7 from rest to 100km/h in nine seconds.
It will boast new levels of safety for China's leading SUV manufacturer, coming complete with adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, 360 degree view, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning and forward collision warning.
Inside, the H7 has a new TFT instrument panel and a large, 12-inch multi-media monitor in the centre of the dashboard.
"We're very proud of this vehicle," said Leclercq. "It continues the evolution of the HAVAL brand and is another step up for us.
"We worked very closely with leading partners to deliver a lot of new technology that customers in Australia want, including new safety features and multi-media.
"I'm very excited to see the final production version. It's a very simple, clean design, but also very strong," he said.
The H7 goes on sale in China in April. It will arrive in Australia in the second half of 2017. Pricing and final specification for the Australian market will be announced closer to launch.