BAODING, CHINA - Haval has pulled the covers off its new flagship SUV, which is a production version of the XY concept that was revealed earlier this year. Built on the Chinese carmaker’s oddly named LEMON platform, the Haval Shenshou has a bold exterior design that could be a sign of things to come for future Haval products.
According to CarNewsChina the Haval Shenshou, whose name means ‘mythical beast’, measures 4780mm in length and 1890mm in width, and rides on a 2800mm wheelbase. That makes it a bit larger than the new-generation Haval H6, which was launched in South Africa recently, and which measures 4653mm in length.
But whereas the latter is sold with a 2-litre turbopetrol engine, the Shenshou is for now only available with a 1.5-litre turbo mill, which produces 138kW and 220Nm, CarNewsChina reports. While that’s hardly befitting of its flagship status, a 2-litre version is said to be on the cards, as well as a plug-in hybrid derivative.
The cabin design is an evolution of what we’ve seen in the new H6 and Jolion models, but here we see the small digital instrument cluster joined to a larger (37cm) central infotainment screen.
It’s not known whether the new Haval Shenshou will ever make it to South Africa, but it could certainly make for an interesting flagship to complement the new H6 and Jolion models, which were launched earlier this year. These new entrants have led to something of a sales surge for the Chinese brand in South Africa, which emerged as the country's seventh best-selling carmaker in both June and July, with respective sales of 1809 and 1525 units.