Tag: pHEV

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TANK – BIG NEWS IN THE BIG SUV DEPARTMENT

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. It’s not so long ago that the first Hyundai topped the $70,000 mark. The 2015 Genesis was good, but would buyers be prepared to pay that much for a Korean car, everyone wondered? Fast forward and we now have GWM’s first vehicle to pass this milestone — its flagship Tank 500 Ultra PHEV seven-seat off-roader. And once again we find ourselves pondering whether buyers will stump up this sort of money to buy a Chinese vehicle this time. In its defence, the large SUV is a substantial offering with… Read more

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OMODA 9 – IT’S A LOT OF CAR FOR THE MONEY.

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  Another week, another Super Hybrid to drive — this time the Omoda 9 plug-in hybrid. Omoda, which is now a separate brand, is part of the Chinese Chery group which includes Jaecoo. In fact, Omoda and Jaecoo share the same dealerships. Some dealers also offer Chery-branded vehicles. The Omoda name represents sporty crossovers while Jaecoo is associated with more rugged SUVs. The Omoda 9 is also sold as the Exeed Yaoguang (or RX for export markets). It’s all a bit confusing. STYLING The five-seat SUV is offered in one… Read more

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GWM HAVAL H6 ULTRA PHEV – THE STARS ARE STARTING TO ALIGN

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Great Wall’s Haval H6 PHEV is the third plug-in hybrid that we have driven in as many weeks. Dating back to 2011, the third generation H6 made its debut at the 2020 Chengdu Motor Show. And, all jokes aside, it’s the first Haval to sit on the ‘Lemon’ platform – we kid you not. H6 is GWM’s all-time, best-selling model, with more than 4 million sales globally. The plug-in version was added in 2021, with a new-look front and available in petrol, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid form. “Every inch of… Read more

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GEELY STARRAY EM-I INSPIRE PHEV

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The Geely Starray EM-i sounds like something out of an old sci-fi movie. But it’s not and if you think that name is quirky, what if it had been the Geely Galaxy Starship 7 as it is sold in other markets. Beam me up, Scotty. The medium-sized five-seat Starray is the plug-in, petrol-electric counterpart of the fully-electric EX5 that we tested earlier this year with which it shares a platform. In fact, it’s the first vehicle in Geely’s “Starship” series and the first to get the second generation NordThor EM-i… Read more

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BYD SEALION 6 ESSENTIAL PHEV … IMPRESSIVE

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BYD’s Sealion 6 is one of the new breed of super hybrids. So called because they are plug-in hybrids with larger batteries that deliver greater electric only range. These PHEVs are starting to gain traction in the market, with a 136 per cent increase in sales in recent months. Fully charged, with a range that exceeds 100km in some cases, they can be used in electric-only mode for the weekday commute. For longer trips, their combined petrol and electric range exceeds 1000km, removing any lingering fear of being stranded with… Read more

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CHERY PLAYS MUSICAL CHAIRS WITH ITS NEW OMODA BRAND

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It’s getting quite difficult to keep track of the constantly evolving brands and sub- brands within the giant Chinese Chery group. The most recent development is the establishment of what is effectively a new sister brand to Chery called Omoda Jaecoo, a premium brand that operates independently of their shared parent company. We recently reported on the two Jaecoo models (J7 and J8) that are currently on sale in Australia. This time we’re reviewing the first of the dedicated Omoda vehicles the Omoda 9 that went on sale here in… Read more

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HAVAL H6GT PLUGS IN TO A NEW WORLD

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With more than 32,000 sales in Australia, the Haval H6 has never been backward at coming forward. And that’s not about to change anytime soon if the brand’s first plug-in electric vehicle is anything to go by. PHEVs have been slow to take off, but with ballooning fuel prices, climate change through fossil-fuel pollution and the ever-present driver albatross of ‘range anxiety’, things are changing. And the new H6GT, with its bumper 35.4kWh battery, has gone straight to the top of the segment with an electricity-only range, with zero emissions,… Read more

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PLUG-IN POWER PLAY TO HYBRID HEIGHTS

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With the landing of its Cannon Alpha plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in Australia, Great Wall Motors has shot its big ute into a leading spot in the segment, the Chinese maker claiming the PHEV sets a new yardstick in performance, range, and capabilities for electrified vehicles in the segment. GWM’s second model to enter the growing PHEV market in Australia, following the Haval H6GT PHEV, the Cannon Alpha PHEV comes in two variants, the Lux and Ultra on the market for $63,990 and $68,990 respectively, driveaway. The maker claims the… Read more

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HAVAL H6 PHEV DRIVES YOUR DOLLAR FURTHER

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Great Wall Motors (aka GWM) continues to lead the way in China’s surge into the Australian new vehicle market, currently sitting in seventh place overall. Nearly two-thirds of these sales come from the Haval sub-brand and its Joleon and H6 SUVs. The larger of the pair, the H6, has been here since 2017 and has grown steadily in the highly-competitive medium SUV segment against big-hitters like RAV4, Outlander, CX-5 and Sportage. Originally petrol-only, it added a conventional petrol/electric hybrid variant in 2022, followed in early 2025 by GWM’s first ever… Read more

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MAZDA NUMBERS GAME IN PLAY FOR SUV BUYERS

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Mazda’s march upmarket with its reworked range of CX large sports utility vehicles, the new CX-80 only leads to a plethora of choices for potential buyers. But does it all add up? Mathematically, maybe but matching models with nomenclature could lead to confusion. In fact, Mazda admits there will be some subtle ‘nudging’ between the CX-60, CX-70, CX-90 and now by the CX-80 but is confident customers will have the nous to deal with the situation. Aping the three powertrains offered by its smaller CX-60 twin – an inline-six petrol,… Read more