New H6 scores top safety marks

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has announced a five-star safety rating for the midsized Haval H6 SUV following the completion of the latest round of testing against the organisation’s more stringent 2020-2022 crash rating criteria.

ANCAP says the Haval H6 performed well across all areas of assessment. It achieved a 90 per cent adult occupant protection score, an 88 per cent child-occupant protection score, a 73 per cent vulnerable road user protection score, and an 81 per cent safety and driver assistance score.

The five-star rating – which does not apply to the range’s upcoming hybrid variant – saw the H6 achieve full points for driver protection in both the side impact and oblique pole tests. Full points were also scored for front- and rear-seat occupants in relation to whiplash protection.

In the frontal offset test, the H6 performed well in terms of front-seat passenger protection, but protection to the driver’s chest was scored as marginal, indicating a risk of chest injuries in such an impact.

Further, a penalty was applied to the driver’s footwell, because its structure showed some signs of a loss of integrity in the frontal offset crash test.

The performance of the H6’s active safety and driver assistance systems also yielded good results. The Haval proved its ability to avoid a run-off crash, while its car-to-car and car-to-cyclist autonomous emergency braking system (AEB) performed as expected. The H6 also successfully prevented a collision with another vehicle in the turn-across-path intersection test scenario.

Child occupant protection, and the ability of the H6 to safely accommodate a range of typical child restraints also scored highly.

“This is an impressive achievement by GWM Haval,” said ANCAP CEO, Carla Hoorweg.

“This is GWM's first new Haval SUV in the Australasian market for a number of years. Delivering a five-star vehicle to the market, against ANCAP's latest 2022 protocols, demonstrates the brand has kept pace with the latest ANCAP safety standards and consumer safety expectations.

“There has been a lot of interest in a safety rating for the H6, and this now provides consumers with an independent assessment of its safety performance,” Ms Hoorweg added.

Launched in March 2021, the Haval H6 is based on a new platform (L.E.M.O.N.), which is designed to deliver what GWM says are “a number of improvements including increased safety”. The H6 is the second model from GWM following the Ute to achieve a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

GWM has sold over 4000 new-generation Haval H6 variants in Australia and says it expects the confirmation of a five-star safety rating will mean it can now capitalise on potential fleet business to secure further sales growth.

“The announcement of a five-star ANCAP rating for the Haval H6 is further proof that GWM is a brand on the move,” said GWM Australia and New Zealand head of marketing and communication Steve Maciver.

“It’s no surprise to see GWM’s sales at record levels, as more and more new car buyers find out for themselves why our range of utes and SUVs are the smart choice.”