GWM Australia will further expand its already growing SUV offering with the new model Haval Jolion Maxwhose local release in the fourth quarter of this year (October-December) has now been confirmed with the option of battery-electric (BEV) and petrol-electric hybrid (HEV) powertrain options.
Speaking to media online, Steve Maciver, general manager of marketing and communications for GWM Australia and New Zealand, confirmed that the “very important” Haval Jolion Max will sit between the standard Jolion and the H6 mid-size SUV in the Chinese brand’s SUV-only lineup.
“The Haval Jolion Max is larger than the current Jolion, and we will also offer BEV and hybrid in this particular model,” Maciver said.
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So what is a GWM Haval Holion Max? Official information is hard to find, but the South African market has confirmed a petrol-powered Jolion Max for 2027, which could be an indication of what we can expect from the Australian model.
Measuring 4590mm long and 1877mm wide with a 2710mm wheelbase, the Jolion Max sits in physical size between the regular Jolion (4470/1874/2700mm) and the larger H6 (4703/1886/2738mm).
The South African market has only confirmed a 1.5-litre 130kW/275Nm turbo petrol engine, similar to that used in Australia’s Jolion Vanta, although Mr Maciver’s comments suggest the 1.5-litre 140kW/375Nm hybrid system will be either standard or available as an option.
While no battery-electric version of the Jolion is currently offered, it is likely that the electric vehicle will share its powertrain components with the similarly sized GWM Ora 5 – which has also just been launched in Thailand with the Jolion HEV’s 1.5-litre hybrid system – which means a 150kW/260Nm front electric motor powered by a 58.3kWh lithium iron phosphate battery and for something more than 400 km is enough to match the 430 km WLTC number of the Ora 5.
Pricing and specifications will be confirmed closer to launch, but for comparison, the cheapest petrol-powered Haval Jolion currently starts at a hefty $24,990 per car, while the HEV range is available at $28,990 per car.
Depending on whether a turbo petrol engine will also be the entry point for the Jolion Max, we could imagine the small to mid-sized SUV starting at under $30,000 in-car, while the Ora 5’s starting price of $33,990 in-car suggests a very strong market position in the low to mid-$30,000s for a Jolion Max EV.
As Haval adds another new model to its extensive local SUV lineup, the Jolion Max HEV would significantly undercut the cheapest Haval H6 HEV (from $37,990 per day) while offering a more practical and conventionally styled alternative to the new Ora 5, which in turn will relaunch the Ora sub-brand Down Under.
GWM Australia is in the midst of a massive product offensive in 2026, which includes the aforementioned Ora 5 as well as an updated Haval H6 GT and a Hi4-T PHEV version of the Tank 300, as well as all-new V6 diesel versions of the larger Tank 500 large SUV and the associated Cannon Alpha ute, as well as a Hi4-T PHEV version of the regular Cannon ute, which will be a cheaper alternative to the Cannon Alpha PHEV as well as the BYD Shark 6 and Ford Ranger PHEV.
GWM will also launch its premium sub-brand Wey in the third quarter of 2026, with further details to be confirmed.
The Chinese brand’s launch is part of GWM’s plans to surpass 60,000 Australian deliveries in 2026, following sales of a record 52,809 units in calendar year 2025.
GWM’s local marketing director also noted that March 2026 was the brand’s best sales month in Australia with 5680 units, with “New Energy Vehicles” (i.e. HEVs, PHEVs and EVs) accounting for almost half (46 percent) of total sales.
The Jolion line is GWM’s best-selling model locally, with 19,413 units delivered in 2025 (up 36.3 percent) and 5,606 units so far in 2026 (up 34.8 percent).
Stay tuned Daily Sparkz Stay tuned and let us know what you think about the GWM Haval Jolion Max in the comments below.
MORE: Explore the GWM Haval Jolion showroom
