Haval Wants to Conquer Australian SUV Market With the H6

We believe him to be the most significant explorer of the 15th century because he found America, even though the Vikings were there first. Yet at roughly the same time there was a man called Zheng He, who commanded a fleet of over 300 ships, went round the Indian Ocean and brought back gifts for his Emperor, including giraffes.

You see, China dominated world export in much the same way it does today. And while Henry Ford's Model T was the first mass-market car, the Chinese won't let a little thing like that stand in their way.

So far, their conquest of the European market hasn't worked. So they're trying with Australia instead. And by they, we mean Haval, the Great Wall brand that is bringing two SUVs over, complete with RHD.

Both of them were penned by the former head of BMW M design, Pierre Leclercq, who worked on the previous generations of the X5 and X6, among other things. Despite this, the H8 looks a lot like the old Audi Q7 from the front and the VW Tiguan I on the inside.

The H6, which is the smaller o the two, is powered by a 2-liter turbocharged gasoline engine producing 197 hp and 315 Nm of torque. It's got a 6-speed twin-clutch gearbox sending power only to the front wheels. This is more of a crossover that will compete with the Hyundai Tucson, Nissan X-Trail, and Toyota RAV4.

The H8 looks like a Touareg, both inside and out. The cabin is decked with wood and Mercedes-like trim. The leather is of exceptional quality... reportedly. Its version of the 2-liter turbo makes slightly more power and torque, but it's matched to a 6-speed auto from ZF.

Haval is really trying to cover all the bases, starting with the tiny H2 and ending with the three-row H9 launched earlier. If you fancy looking at a review of something you're never going to buy, we've got you covered.