2026 GWM Haval H6 tuned by former Holden engineering guru lands in Australia to tackle the Toyota RAV4 and Kia Sportage

GWM’s first Aussie-focused cars have arrived.

The updated Haval H6 has landed in local dealerships, and while there hasn't been any change to standard inclusions or engines there is a big change you can't see.

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Dubbed AT-1, the local ride and handling program is headed up by former Holden engineer Rob Trubiani and it has localised some elements of GWM vehicles, specifically ride, handling and advanced driver assistance features.

The GWM local tuning operation follows in the footsteps of Kia's successful program, which has helped grow the Korean marque into a top three selling car band in Australia.

The idea is to elevate the H6 to better battle more refined rivals such as the Kia Sportage and Toyota RAV4.

It isn’t just a one size fits all approach for GWM, with the company developing five different set-ups to cover all the different H6 variants from petrol, hybrid and plug-in hybrid power and front- and all-wheel drive.  

GWM claims the process hasn’t stopped and it will continue to tinker and tweak the vehicles based on real world insights, customer feedback and usage.

GWM Australia's Chief Operating Officer John Kett said he wanted the local outfit to be recognised for influencing the brands global vehicles.

“AT-1 reflects the investment GWM has made in our ANZ team and the support we receive from our head office,” said Kett.

“With Rob joining the GWM family, we are leading the way, adjusting vehicles on real roads and taking those insights back to China to shape the next generation of products. Our Chinese management is listening and engaged; they want us to push the envelope.”

Rob Trubiani said the refinements made to the H6 would make it a more resolved and capable vehicle.

“The objective of the AT-1 philosophy is to create a more unified and intuitive driving experience, specifically tuned for Australian conditions. The result is a more cohesive and assured character, with improvements evident across everyday driving scenarios," said Trubiani.

GWM is going to roll the program out to more vehicles in its range in the future.