HAVAL reveals a new plug-in hybrid car

HAVAL has previewed its first plug-in hybrid ahead of its official reveal at Auto China 2018 in Beijing.

Launched under the company's luxury brand – WEY – the P8 is set to write a new chapter in the company's history and represents the first model built on HAVAL's new Pi4 (plug-in intelligent four-wheel drive) platform.

Combining a 2.0-litre petrol engine driving the front wheels, in tandem with an 85kW rear-mounted electric motor, the P8 boasts an impressive output of 250kW/524Nm and a zero to 100 km/h acceleration of 6.5 seconds.

Power is delivered to a combination of front wheels (petrol), rear wheels (electric) and all wheels (combined) through a Getrag six-speed dual clutch transmission.

Based on the WEY VV7 luxury SUV, the P8 measures 4765x1931x1655mm has a 2950mm wheelbase and rides on either 20 or 21-inch wheels.

Inside, the P8 adopts the VV7's T-style console, angled purposefully toward the driver. The SUV comes loaded with luxury features, including a panoramic sunroof, LCD instrument panel, premium sound system, 9-inch touchscreen and leather seats with heating, massage and ventilation.

The P8 comes complete with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), forward collision warning (FCW), blind spot monitoring (BSM), lane departure warning (LDW), lane keep assist (LKA) and 360° camera. To aid pedestrian safety, the WEY P8 employs an aluminium alloy bonnet.

The PHEV system offers a 50-kilometre range on pure electric, 660 km range with both motors working in tandem and fuel economy of 2.3 L/100km.

Charging from a 220V home power point can be achieved in seven hours or four from a dedicated charger.

HAVAL will also unveil a fully autonomous pure electric SUV at Auto China Beijing on April 25.

Branded under the company's luxury arm, the WEY X will offer L5 autonomous driving performance.

This means the artificial intelligence system in the WEY X will mirror that of a highly trained human driver, in scenarios including dirt roads and bad weather.

WEY X follows in the footsteps of the pure electric XEV concept unveiled at the 2017 International Automobile Exhibition in Frankfurt.

The 2018 iteration blends with the existing vehicle to vehicle (V2V) and vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) technology in a fully integrated transportation network.

Combined with the latest autonomous driving expertise, the WEY X identifies and predicts potential risks in advance to minimise the potential for accidents.

Engineers have replaced traditional keys and buttons in the WEY X with a full biometric identification system.

Each registered user can create their own individual set-up, including seats, music preferences and preferred navigation information.