2022 Haval H9 SUV axed, but will the Isuzu MU-X and Toyota LandCruiser Prado rival be replaced with the GWM Tank 500?

Haval has discontinued its rugged off-road-focused SUV, the seven-seat H9, making room for an expected new model to take its place.

The H9 has disappeared from the local consumer website and, according to GWM Australia head of marketing and communications, Steve Maciver, it will soon disappear from dealerships.

“Production of the H9 for Australia is now over and any remaining stock is expected to be sold by the end of the year,” he said.

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“We’re looking at options for a large SUV replacement but at this stage, no decision has been made.”

While GWM Haval Australia is quiet on the H9’s replacement, the most likely candidate is the big and bold Tank 500 that was revealed in August this year.

Tank is one of GWM’s many sub-brands that also includes the Ora EV marque, but trademark documents from November revealed that the new offering will be branded the GWM Tank 500 in Australia.

Another off-road-capable model Haval is considering for Australia is the Jeep Wrangler-rivalling Big Dog. The stylish Haval F7 large SUV is also a possibility, but it is a more on-road-focused model.

The writing was on the wall in August when the facelifted H9 was revealed in China, but the Australian operation ruled it out for local launch.

The H9 was the last remaining model in the Haval line-up from the Chinese brand’s previous generation of vehicles. The other two offerings – the Jolion small SUV and H6 mid-sizer – are new-gen models that launched this year.

Arriving in Australia as part of the official launch of the Haval brand in October 2015, the H9 was effectively the replacement for the Great Wall X240 SUV that sold between 2009 and 2015.

It was pitched as a rival to the likes of the Toyota LandCruiser Prado, and ute-based off-road SUVs like the Isuzu MU-X, Ford Everest, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Toyota Fortuner.

The Great Wall Tank 500 could replace the H9 in the Australian line-up.

With a sole engine offering of a 180kW/350Nm 2.0-litre petrol engine, the H9 lacked the pulling power of these rivals. Pricing was $41,990 drive-away for the Lux and $45,990 for the Ultra.

Another Haval model launched at the same time, the H8 large SUV, was dropped from the line-up just a couple of years after launch.

The H9 is the slowest selling model in the GWM Haval Australian portfolio, with 517 finding homes to the end of November this year. That still represents a 68 per cent increase on the same period last year.

The GWM Ute is the Chinese giant’s top seller here with a combined 4x2 and 4x4 tally of 6477 units, followed by the Jolion on 3414.

In the busy large SUV segment, the Haval H9 is outsold by rivals like the LDV D90 (1350) and the SsangYong Rexton (683), and soundly beaten by dominant players like the Toyota Prado (19,095) and Isuzu MU-X (9833).