China's leading SUV manufacturer wowed audiences at Auto Shanghai 2017 with the unveiling of a stunning new hybrid-powered SUV coupe concept.
HAVAL Design Director Pierre Leclercq said the design team was proud to produce an "expressive' concept vehicle.
"HAVAL remains dedicated to building SUVs and developing different products that meet the different needs of all our customers.
"Within this palette of vehicles some of them should be more expressive than others and this is certainly the case with the HB-03 concept – the HAVAL Blue 03."
Leclercq explained the HB-03 was a continuation of the DNA evolution shown in the HB-02 concept at Beijing in 2016, but added that this year the design team wanted to show something that is close to production.
"The HB-03 combines clever hybrid technology together with the pure excitement of a real coupe. It's very sporty, mature and full of muscle.
"In profile, it clearly exhibits the centre line of a coupe with very dynamic attitude, but with no compromise on headroom and comfort of rear seat passengers.
"The vehicle features a lot of full surfaces as our form language. There are very sexy sheet metal movements and highly technical details that show the DNA direction for HAVAL.
"The rear view offers a unique GT-like configuration made by the combination of a very fast greenhouse combined with a small rear deck. A section of that rear deck has been optimised for an ideal downforce and is therefore highly aerodynamic."
Leclercq said the HB-03 concept was meant to be a bit louder than other vehicles in the range.
"We certainly wanted to express this with the interior and its mix of orange leather, carbon and black chrome, which give a unique and sporty character.
"This shows what customers can expect in the next generation of HAVAL in terms of design, functionality, quality and comfort.
"The interior shows a lot of three dimension effects in the overall theme, starting with an instrument panel that accentuates a horizontal theme. This helps us to integrate air vents that look smaller visually, without losing any functionality."
Leclercq said the HB-03 concept was true to his philosophy of "simple, but strong".
"The design expression should never be over explained. The best products speak for themselves.
"As a designer, I feel fortunate to work for a company that understands the importance of bringing such exciting vehicles to market.
"HAVAL is proud to design vehicles that are not only meant to transport you from A to B, but inspire you to enjoy looking at when you reach your destination. We want to design more vehicles that create desire and therefore carry out the best expression of our brand image."
The concept vehicle is powered by the intelligent hybrid unveiled in Beijing in 2016, which delivers more than 200 kilowatts and 450 Newton-metres, while consuming just 2.1 litres of fuel to travel 100 kilometres.
Rather than the traditional hybrid design of a separate combustion engine and electric motor, the HAVAL approach combines a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor and transmission.
Linked to a rear-mounted NCM Lithium-ion battery, the high level integrated design delivers dynamic performance and outstanding fuel economy.
The HAVAL plug-in hybrid powertrain will offer three distinctive modes for the driver to select from, according to their daily needs.
In Pure Electric mode, drive is provided solely by the electric motor. The 95kW/278Nm motor is fuelled by a large 13 kilowatt/hour battery, providing a range of 65 kilometres while producing zero emissions.
In addition, the HAVAL battery can be recharged in about four hours from a standard household power point.
The HAVAL system will also offer a Power mode, where drivers get the combined performance of both energy sources. On start-up, the SUV takes advantage of the instant response of the electric motor, with the petrol engine maintaining acceleration.
With 450 Newton-metres of torque on tap, the HAVAL plug-in hybrid will accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in around 9 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 210 km/h.
The default mode is Hybrid Drive, which is designed for everyday use. Here, the vehicle will automatically alternate between drawing power from the 1.5-litre direct injection turbocharged engine and the electric motor to deliver the best overall fuel consumption.