China builds better cars thanks to Holden

China has finally produced a vehicle that, for the large part, delivers on the promise of its contemporary styling and high-tech specification. One that does not have make questionable or confounding compromises on account of its ultra-competitive pricing.

That the carmaker is GWM, rather than BYD, Geely or even Xiaomi comes as a surprise, given the very disappointing showing from models both successful and otherwise, like the Haval Jolion and Ora electric vehicle (EV) respectively.

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Under the “Australian Tune – One” project mantra (shortened to AT-1 that apparently also plays on the phrase to be ‘at one’ with the car), the extent of the road-tuning program, including details of what has had to change and why they need to happen, were revealed to the press at the GWM Tech Day in Melbourne earlier this month.

“We've been listening to the customer feedback, to what the media have written, to what our dealers have spoken to us about,” Trubiani stated with the surety and clarity of a four-decade vehicle-dynamics engineer veteran, and went on as if the transition from GMH to GWM representative was as seamless as it looks and sounds written down.

“The feedback has been clear that the cars are great, but they don't suit our roads necessarily as (well as) they could. So, the reason I'm here is because our leadership has listened.”

This newfound direction affects every GWM vehicle released in Australia and New Zealand from now on, under all four of the existing brands: Haval, Cannon Ute, Tank and Ora. And the aim is to have every model from each with AT-1 by the middle of next year.

What’s changed?

Backed by the sort of resources and deep pockets that could only have been dreamt about during the latter Holden years – including, ironically, GWM’s seemingly permanent “residency” at now-Vietnamese rival VinFast-owned Lang Lang – AT-1 is the localisation of ride and handling packages specifically created for, but not exclusive to, this region.

“I've got a lot of experience, I guess, in tuning cars and for fear of carbon dating myself, I've been driving through the gates of this magical place for 30 years, and know the grounds really, really well,” Trubiani revealed.

“And I know what we need to deliver out of these roads, to then what that relates to for the Australian and New Zealand roads.”

Key to AT-1 is having the car “inspire driver confidence” while also delivering “a comfortable experience” for all occupants, not just for the driver. This in turn leads to a more relaxed environment in the vehicle, which in turn helps the driver become more in tune and “most playful” with their vehicle.

“And for me, having confidence in the car is what gives you that excitement,” Trubiani emphasised, adding that “linearity is key”.

The process

Commencing his tenure at GWM some six months ago, getting to know the existing and near-future models to ascertain the level of modification required was job one – and the shock here is that the chassis basics are not as bad as some reviewers might have people believe, according to Trubiani.

“The first month or two, we just flat out driving cars, spending time in and soaking with them,” he said. “And what really came across was that our cars have a really strong fundamental architecture, their architectural performance as a vehicle dynamics person would say, is really good. It's great. And is a really good launching pad for us to do AT-1.

“It's not that we drove the cars and thought: ‘Oh, God, like we've got a lot of work to do here!’ They're tweaks, they're tuned. They're not major overhauls. So that's really that was exciting for me.

“We needed to identify the tuning elements. So, the chassis of the car has lots of components to it. There are strut mounts and rubber bushes, there are springs and stabiliser bars, there are dampers and tyres and steering systems. There's a whole lot of parts that make up the chassis of the car, and that really gives you that driving experience.

“So, we needed to look at what the tuning elements are, and then which ones we wanted to change to make improvements in the car.”

The main focus was steering calibration and damper (shock absorber) tuning, resulting in thousands of changes in the last few months, with variations down to the nth degree.

“We use shock absorbers in tuning that you can pull apart and change the value that the combinations are in the millions, millions and millions,” Trubiani said. “It's the skill of tuning engineers like myself to be able to, I guess, know what you want to change, and have a vision for where you want to take the car and try and accelerate the damper tuning work.”

Finally, once the issues are identified and a modification is agreed upon both at Lang Lang and out on surrounding roads in Victoria, Trubiani and his team have to communicate the changes to GWM in China.

“The work is done locally here, both on proving ground, which is why we got the residency, because we can use this facility, and also public roads,” he explained.

“And then we come up with a set of (changes required). For example, on the dampers, there are valve codes, so those codes list exactly all of the components inside that damper. We then feed that information back to the engineers at head office (at GWM).

“They then work with the supplier to put that through to production. So, there's a validation process that the parts need to go through, and then a production process to get them into the assembly plan.

“We basically give them the specs of what to build. They then go away and build that.”

And that’s how a GWM goes from pre-AT-1 to post-AT-1. And those vehicles are now just starting to reach Australia.

Trubiani’s goal

In a nutshell, these are what Trubiani is striving for.

The first is steering response, which entails accuracy, where the steering provides feel and a sort of pinpoint or sharpness that helps the driver place it precisely where the car needs to go.

“This is not ‘big swinging’ the car around,” he said. “This is about small steering inputs… we've really worked on making the car feel sharp… the response to the car feels linear. You put X amount of input in, and the car responds a certain way. You put double that input in, and you're getting roughly double the output.”

Then there is steering effort, for a “nice and natural” feel, regardless of which mode the steering is in.

With the dampers, the aim is to for the car to have a “quality feel”, to improve ride comfort and impact performance as well as body control. This is vital for providing driver-confident handling that is predictable and reassuring, yet enough for an enthusiast to enjoy as well.

The AT-1 Vehicles

First cab off the rank was the Cannon Alpha diesel ute, undergoing both a steering calibration and a damper tune. The hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) versions saw steering calibrations only at this stage.

Then there is the latest H6 medium-sized SUV, which in petrol guise underwent just a damper tune, whilst the heavier HEV and PHEV versions also scored unique steering tunes.

Our first AT-1 drive: Cannon Alpha diesels

Driving around Lang Lang does put any vehicle through a punishing test, but GWM insisted on travelling in a convoy that drove too slowly and cautiously for anything other than a taste of what the car is capable of.

Driving back-to-back with the Cannon Alpha in pre-AT-1 and post-AT-1 tune, there are immediate improvements in the way the suspension both absorbs and then controls the ute after hitting a bump.

Unfortunately, we were not really allowed to lean on the steering at speed, but the AT-1 diesel ute seemed to turn in a little more sweetly and easily than the pre-calibration Alpha.

We suspect that, out away from the worried eyes of GWM, the Cannon diesel would have impressed us even further. That’s the first for any Chinese ute we have ever driven.

However, there was no way we could assess the advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) that have been such a point of contention for their ill-timed and excessive interference and distraction.

Our first AT-1 drive: Haval H6 PHEV AWD

Another all-too-brief drive, this time around rural Gippsland roads, revealed a profoundly better SUV than the pre-facelift H6 we experienced some time back.

With a bit more flexibility to slow down and then speed up through tight corners, bumpy roads and off-camber curves with potholes, the steering’s weighting, feedback and feel seemed years ahead of what came before, making the driver feel connected and at ease, even at speed. This is new ground for a Chinese SUV.

Likewise, the suspension’s discipline and compliance is also a big step forward for the H6. Most of the road-surface irregularities were soaked up smoothly and without fuss, egging the driver on to go faster and with more confidence. Like Trubiani said.

Our concerns are that there still needs to be some noise and vibration suppression from underneath, because the suspension components still have a loose sound and feel about them. More work needs to be done here.

Secondly, the ADAS tech, whilst unbelievably better, still needs further fine-tuning in order to keep the alarm bells ringing, especially as the steering correction was still a bit too intrusive.

Overall, though, we’re very, very impressed. The first Haval we can wholly recommend.

And, yes, the H6 feels at least on a par with the better Holden SUVs that Trubiani would surely have helped tune and modify as well.

That’s progress.