Bangkok 2025: GWM Haval H6 facelift debuts – new face, revised interior, PHEV gets new LFP battery

Great Wall Motor has introduced the Haval H6 facelift at the ongoing Bangkok International Motor Show, marking the vehicle’s first appearance in right-hand drive guise. Assembled at the automaker’s Rayong plant, the CKD SUV will be available in three variant forms for the Thai market, these being a hybrid and two plug-in hybrids.

The three variants of the Haval H6 facelift sold in Thailand are the HEV Pro, which goes for 929,000 baht (RM 121,200), the H6 PHEV Pro, which is priced at 1,049,000 baht (RM 137,000) and a range-topping H6 PHEV Ultra that goes for 1,149,000 baht (RM 150,000).

No changes to the H6 HEVs drive system, with the GW4B15D 1.5 litre turbocharged four-pot, which offers 150 PS at 5,500 to 6,000 rpm and 230 Nm of twist from 1,500 to 4,000 rpm, and a 177 PS (130 kW) and 300 Nm TZ220X permanent-magnet synchronous motor, continuing to offer a combined total system output of 243 PS and 530 Nm.

As for the H6 PHEV, the same 1.5 litre turbo mill offers an identical output, but power output from its hybrid system is higher at 326 PS, with maximum torque similar to the HEV at 530 Nm. The facelift does get a change in the battery pack, with a 27.4 kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery replacing the 34 kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) unit on the pre-facelift.

The smaller capacity battery does however reduce the vehicle’s maximum electric-only range from 201 km to 150 km (both NEDC). Maximum DC charging has also dropped from 48 kW to 41 kW, but this is little detriment to the charging time, as the battery can be brought from a 0% to 80% state-of-charge in around 35 minutes. The PHEV also supports AC charging of 6 kW. Both the HEV and PHEV powertrains are paired with the automaker’s two-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT).

As would be expected of a facelift, the exterior gets a general rework, with most of the exterior action happening at the front. There’s a new face that adopts the brand’s Star River Aesthetics design language, led by a fresh take on the grille, with redesigned headlights and waterfall-styled vertical DRLs on the bumper edges.

Strangely enough, the changes at the back don’t mirror that seen on the facelift in China, which was on show at the GWM drive event held prior to the Beijing motor show last year. Where the FL in China dropped the light bar and gained new individual LED tail light clusters, the Thai H6 facelift retains the light strip configuration as before. Changes come in the form of a new GWM word mark that replaces the Haval script, and the chrome tailgate trim is now dressed in black.

Inside, the refreshed Haval H6 now comes with an all-black interior and a slight layout change for the dashboard. The centre console has been redesigned, and the rotary knob gear selector has been omitted, replaced by a steering gear stalk.

The FL also gains a two-spoke steering wheel (which was not seen in the Chinese FL examples last year) as well as a larger 14.6-inch touchscreen infotainment unit to replace the pre-FL’s 12.3-inch unit, and this runs on GWM’s Coffee OS 3.0. The existing 10.25-inch digital instrument display has been retained.

Despite its introduction in Thailand, the facelift – which is more than likely to mirror the Thai version in exterior terms – may not come our way so soon, given that the H6 only made its debut here last October and is presently being assembled locally by EP Manufacturing (EPMB) at its plant in Pegoh, Melaka. Switching to the FL is simple enough, but it all depends on how many CKD packs of the old one are still about.

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