GWM Haval has a new plug-in hybrid SUV in the works

ONE former spy SUV GWM Haval was revealed thanks to a dossier of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published by Chinese media.

The company has also released a limited number of official images.

Model, known by the Chinese media as Xiaolong Max And B07bigger than H6. It is not clear if it was on Australian radar.

It measures 4758mm long, 1895mm wide and 1725mm tall on a 2800mm wheelbase, or 105mm longer and 9mm wider than the H6 on a 62mm longer wheelbase. That makes it about the same size as a Hyundai Santa Fe or Kia sorento.

Chinese media reports that it will offer two plug-in hybrid powertrain options using either 85bhp or 113bhp turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder engines. Choose from 9.41 kWh and 19.27 kWh battery packs.

WLTC’s electric-only range numbers are claimed to be 44 km and 86 km, respectively.

It’s unclear if there will be any internal combustion engine-powered options.

As with H6 and JolionThe B07 will be offered with two different front panel options.

One has an almost closed grille area with a distinctive diamond pattern, while the other has a bold chrome grille that is joined by the daytime running lights, extending down from the slim headlights.

Both fronts also have different bumper treatments. Both the more chrome versions have thinner openings in the bumper, as well as vertical air intakes closer to the headlights.

Notably, Haval ended up dropping its italics for a cleaner look. On models with a chrome grille, the grille remains in a rectangular panel.

The side panels are similar to the H6, including the side folds and the greenhouse reaches a point in the D-pillar, but at the rear, the B07 avoids the smaller H6’s full-width light bar for more conventional lighting.

An earlier spy photo revealed the interior of the B07, whose screen runs the entire length of the dashboard – a design element that is becoming increasingly popular in China – and the dashboard unusually angled hub with two large wireless charging pads.

There are four control switches and what appears to be a row of buttons, but no conventional gearshifters – so gear selection can be done by pushing buttons or via a column-mounted shifter.

This mysterious SUV joins the already messy list of Haval-branded SUVs in China.

While only two are on sale here – the Jolion and the H6, both with the GWM Haval badge – the Great Wall Motor mass-market SUV brand has 10 models.

These include Big Dog/Dagou/Dargo based on Lemon, Kagou/Cool DogChitu and God of Waras well as aging H9 off-roader and M6 Plus crossover.

H9 off-roader aside, Shenshou is currently Haval’s largest SUV, measuring 4.78m long. That’s just slightly shorter than the defunct H8.

The B07 isn’t the only Haval SUV to be spotted late, with a full-size model – possibly based on the GWM King Kong Cannon – arrested in China.

While Haval has been selling body-on-frame SUVs for years, parent company GWM has been busy launching a range of SUVs with these platforms under its fledgling Tank brand.

The first of these cars to arrive this year, locally badged as Tank GWM 300.