SHANGHAI, China — Great Wall Motor, which is China's largest utility-vehicle manufacturer, wants to expand its popular Hover crossover model into a branded portfolio of products for the Chinese domestic market. It will make that ambition plain at the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show.
The original Hover (also known locally as Hufa) was introduced four years ago at the 2005 Shanghai show.
At this year's show, Great Wall intends to unveil an updated version, rebadged as the Hover H3 and priced from less than $13,000 for the base 120-horsepower 2.0-liter model with a five-speed manual gearbox.
Images have surfaced on Chinese Web sites of a second Hover model, the H7, with more unusual styling intended to promote the vehicle's premium aspirations.
Reports say the Hover H7 concept will be powered by a 3.0-liter V6 engine with a six-speed automatic and full-time four-wheel drive. Standard features include ABS and stability control.
A third Hover model, the M3, is a boxy, tall-roof compact powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, with provisions for an electric motor. An even smaller CUV, the M1, is similar in size and shape to the company's Gwkulla. The M1 is said to be powered by a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine and features four-wheel drive.
Inside Line says: We're not sure how strong the Hover name is outside China, but the idea of an expanded portfolio of crossover vehicles sounds like a good plan for export-minded Great Wall. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
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