Malaysia-bound Haval Jolion makes its public debut at Malaysia Autoshow

The Haval Jolion will spearhead Great Wall Motor’s (GWM) re-entry into the Malaysian market and following some sightings on local roads, the SUV is at last making its official Malaysian debut at the ongoing Malaysia Autoshow 2023.

It’s just a matter of time before the Jolion makes its official launch here and once it lands, the first order of business would be to give B-segment regulars such as the Honda HR-V and Toyota Corolla Cross a run for their money.

Also Read: Confirmed: GWM to enter Malaysia with Haval H6 and Jolion, 2022 to see more Chinese brands

That said, the Proton X50 will be within its crosshairs as well. Nonetheless, it’s likely the Jolion will be imported (CBU) from Thailand, meaning its pricing will be higher than the rebadged Geely.

Also Read: Malaysia-bound Haval Jolion launched in Thailand – Hybrid only, priced from RM 111k

Malaysia is likely to get the same powertrain as found in its Thai-twin, that being a petrol-electric hybrid that does a combined output of 243 PS and 530 Nm, mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Nonetheless, other markets such as South Africa and Australia offer the Jolion with a sole 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine (152 PS/220 Nm).

Also Read: More for less? The Malaysia-bound Haval Jolion has its target set on Corolla Cross and HR-V

The hybrid powertrain uses a similar engine but with the addition of an electric motor.

It remains to be seen which powertrain and the number of variants for the Malaysian market. For reference, the Thai-spec Jolion is available in 3 variants:

• Tech – THB 879,000 (~RM 115,000)
• Pro – THB 939,000 (~RM 123,000)
• Ultra – THB 999,000 (~RM 130,000)

While it might go up against the HR-V and Corolla Cross, the Jolion is a little larger than its competitors. In fact, it’s only 181 mm shorter than its H6 sibling that competes with the Honda CR-V. Both are built on GWM’s Lemon platform.

Seeing that the variant here runs on 18-inch wheels, it could very well be the flagship Ultra sold in Thailand.

Standard features on all three variants of the Jolion include:

• 7-inch digital instrument display
• automatic dual-zone climate control
• 10.25-inch infotainment unit with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay

The flagship Ultra adds on:

• panoramic sunroof
• head-up display
• Qi wireless charger
• 12.3-inch infotainment display
• PM 2.5 air filter system

Standard safety kit includes 6 airbags, AEB, Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lane Keep Assist (LKA), and Blind-spot Warning.

The Ultra includes a full suite of ADAS:

• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with stop & go
• Traffic sign detection
• Rear cross traffic alert (RCTA)
• Rear cross traffic braking (RCTB)
• Low Speed Emergency Brake Assist (LSEB)
• Rear Collision Warning (RCW)

No surprise that the Jolion is a strong seller in many of the markets it’s available in and once it lands here, the Japanese should keep an eye on their rear-view mirror.