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Haval says diesel has ‘reached its zenith’, has no plans to offer it

Haval has ruled out adopting diesel engines in the future, saying the technology has already “reached its zenith” and that petrol and electrification has all the upside.


Instead, all future models from the Chinese SUV brand will use turbocharged petrol engines. Additionally, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and full electric offerings are claimed to be due in the “very near future”.

Furthermore, the company has also announced that all future models will have automatic transmissions only, taking manual gearboxes off the table.

The R&D experts at Haval have declared the future for the company will be powered by turbocharged petrol engines,” said Haval Motors Australia chief marketing officer Tim Smith.

Smith said a recent Australian delegation to the company's head office in China raised “customer and media questions” about diesel.

“The debate about diesel power was a long and robust one. Ultimately the future of that fuel has been decided by the market, the actions of other companies and a growing push for more stringent clean-air policies,” he claimed.

“We have already seen reaction from markets like India, where the sale of vehicles powered by diesel engines greater than two litres in capacity have been banned since December last year.

“Our team of engineers made a clear case they believe the development of diesel engines had reached its zenith and the era of smaller, more fuel-efficient petrol engines and powerful hybrid and electric engines was upon us.”

Irrespective of what it says, diesel engines remain important volume contributors in Australia’s large SUV segment, where the flagship Haval H9 (currently powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol only) plies its trade.

Additionally, Haval has rationalised its line-up by adopting an automatic-only policy for transmissions in all future models. The H8 and H9 are currently auto-only, though the H2 offers both.

“Australia has one of the highest proportions for automatic ownership so this is a welcome move for Australian customers,” said Smith.

Haval has a launch around the corner, a fourth SUV line called the H6. It’s due in September and will come exclusively with a six-speed Getrag dual-clutch transmission (DCT).

Naturally, Haval's sister company Great Wall will indeed offer diesel power in its upcoming new ute.

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