Chinese car maker Haval has revealed the Haval Blue 03 (HB-03) Concept SUV at the Shanghai Motor Show.

FOLLOWING FROM its Haval Blue 02 Concept from last year’s Shanghai Motor Show, Haval has revealed the HB-03 at this year’s Show.

HAVAL Design Director Pierre Leclercq said: “HAVAL remains dedicated to building SUVs and developing different products that meet the different needs of all our customers. 

“Within this palette of vehicles some of them should be more expressive than others and this is certainly the case with the HB-03 concept – the HAVAL Blue 03.”

The concept vehicle is powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder (mated to an electric motor) which makes more than 200kW and 450Nm of torque, while drinking just 2.1L/100km. The electric motor is connected to a rear-mounted NCM Lithium-ion battery.

HB-03 offers three driving modes: Pure Electric mode which sees drive provided solely by the electric motor. The 95kW/278Nm electric motor is powered by the 13 kilowatt/hour battery, providing a range of 65 kilometres. It takes just four hours to recharge from flat from a conventional household power point. Power mode offers the combined performance of both petrol engine and electric motor. On start-up, the SUV takes advantage of the instant response of the electric motor, with the petrol engine maintaining acceleration.

The default mode is Hybrid Drive, which is designed for everyday use. Here, the vehicle will automatically alternate between drawing power from the 1.5-litre engine and the electric motor.

Leclercq explained the HB-03 was a continuation of the DNA evolution shown in the HB-02 concept at Beijing in 2016.

“The HB-03 combines clever hybrid technology together with the pure excitement of a real coupe. It’s very sporty, mature and full of muscle.

“In profile, it clearly exhibits the centre line of a coupe with very dynamic attitude, but with no compromise on headroom and comfort of rear seat passengers.

“The vehicle features a lot of full surfaces as our form language. There are very sexy sheet metal movements and highly technical details that show the DNA direction for HAVAL.

“The rear view offers a unique GT-like configuration made by the combination of a very fast greenhouse combined with a small rear deck. A section of that rear deck has been optimised for an ideal downforce and is therefore highly aerodynamic.”

Leclercq said the HB-03 concept was meant to be a bit louder than other vehicles in the range. 

“We certainly wanted to express this with the interior and its mix of orange leather, carbon and black chrome, which give a unique and sporty character.

“This shows what customers can expect in the next generation of HAVAL in terms of design, functionality, quality and comfort.

“The interior shows a lot of three dimension effects in the overall theme, starting with an instrument panel that accentuates a horizontal theme. This helps us to integrate air vents that look smaller visually, without losing any functionality.”

Leclercq said the HB-03 concept was true to his philosophy of “simple, but strong”.

“The design expression should never be over explained. The best products speak for themselves.

“As a designer, I feel fortunate to work for a company that understands the importance of bringing such exciting vehicles to market. 

“HAVAL is proud to design vehicles that are not only meant to transport you from A to B, but inspire you to enjoy looking at when you reach your destination. We want to design more vehicles that create desire and therefore carry out the best expression of our brand image.”