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On January 12, the official map of the new Harvard H9 was officially released. As a new replacement model, the appearance of the new car adopts a new design style, and the power system of 2.0T gasoline engine and 8-gear automatic transmission is retained, while 2.4T diesel engine and 9-gear automatic transmission are added.

In terms of appearance, the new car uses the latest family design language, canceling the current model straight waterfall in the net design. The front face of the new car is designed by parallel line intake grille with square outline headlamp design, the overall shape is square, but it has great visual impact. In terms of subdivision, the new car grille is decorated with sturdy chrome strips and rivets, with the letter "HAVAL" inlaid in the middle. The interior of the two square headlights is a round daily lamp group, and the lower part of the front is also equipped with a guard to avoid bumping, which is very rough and bold as a whole, and the hard cross-country attributes are full.

The side of the body, the new car shape is simple and generous, straight lines, continue the non-load-bearing body, waistline runs through the entire body, and the use of square rearview mirror, conventional modeling door handle, 19-inch rims and other designs, further enhance the hard off-road vehicle properties of the vehicle. In terms of size, the length, width and height of the new car are 4859/1934/1853mm and the wheelbase is 2850mm. For comparison, the Harvard H9 currently on sale is 4843/1926/1900mm in length, width and height, and 2800mm in wheelbase. By contrast, the length and width of the new car increases by 16mm and 8mm, the wheelbase increases by 50mm, and the height shortens 47mm. In the rear part, the new car is designed with two rectangular and longitudinally arranged taillights, equipped with the common external spare tire and side open rear door of hard off-road vehicles, and the license plate frame is located on the left side of the rear. The rear bumper is thick and strong, which enhances the stability of the whole vehicle.

In the interior part, the official did not announce the layout of the new car. According to the spy photos exposed, the new car will be equipped with a large central control screen, a multi-function steering wheel, an electronic shift lever, and the use of physical buttons and control knobs. In addition, the shift display screen has been removed from the dashboard and the shift area has been partially adjusted. More information about the interior layout of the new car has yet to be disclosed by officials.

In terms of power, the new car continues to provide a 2.0T gasoline engine with a maximum power of 224 horsepower, a peak torque of 385 Nm and a matching 8-gear automatic transmission. In addition, the new car also adds a 2.4T diesel engine with a maximum power of 184 horsepower, a peak torque of 480 Nm and a matching 9-gear automatic transmission.

Harvard is a subsidiary of Great Wall, and the Harvard H9 is the first seven-seat medium-and large-sized SUV under the Harvard brand. It launched three models in November 2014 with a price range of 22.98 yuan to 272800 yuan. In June 2015, the Harvard H9 five-seater model went on sale for 219800 yuan to 262800 yuan. Since then, the H9 has undergone several changes.

In November 2021, it was revealed that Harvard H9 would stop production permanently. At that time, it was reported that the Harvard H9 would be discontinued by the end of December 2021, including elite, comfortable, intelligent, deluxe, luxury and distinguished models. Then a car blogger retweeted and said: "on the Harvard H9 production: it is true that the interior of the Great Wall has decided to stop production of the Harvard H9 at the end of this year, and it is more likely to stop production completely, the model is over, but after all, it is a meritorious model that has just been changed." when the leader softened again, he changed it to a temporary stop, paying attention to it temporarily. However, the Harvard H9 has long been determined not to be replaced, and Harvard has other new off-road products. " But the news was quickly denied by officials, when Great Wall insiders said: "Harvard H9 is still in production according to the product plan, has not received a stop notice."

As a domestic hard cross-country SUV priced at 200000 yuan, the early Harvard H9 also had a highlight moment. The launch of the Harvard H9 lowers the threshold for cross-country SUV, bringing more choices for players. In addition, due to its excellent off-road ability and price blessing, the car snatched a lot of Toyota Prado orders after its launch, even known as "domestic Prado". According to the data, the retail figures of the Harvard H9 from 2020 to 2022 were 17345, 11498 and 12444 respectively, but after 2023, with the high-end development of own-brand off-road vehicles and the development of new energy, Harvard H9 sales did not perform well.

The official map is a replacement of the Harvard H9, and the price range of the models currently on sale is 21.48-279800 yuan. According to the latest retail figures, the top three models sold by the Harvard brand in 2023 are the Harvard H6, the Harvard Big Dog and the Harvard M6, with cumulative sales of 218200, 124000 and 51500, respectively, while the Harvard H9 has accumulated sales of 5792, with monthly sales of less than 500.

According to the plan, a new replacement of the Harvard H9 may be available in the first half of the year. According to the market news, the price of the new car is expected to be close to that of the models currently on sale. As a reference, the price range of Harvard H9 currently on sale is 21.48-279800 yuan. Judging from the information that has been exposed, the new car has a good off-road performance, but as the competition in the car market has entered a white-hot stage, more and more independent brands begin to layout "hard off-road" market segments, including Dongfeng warriors and BYD equation leopard, and so on. New cars will also face a lot of competitive pressure after they appear on the market. As for whether the new car can bring sales growth to the Harvard brand again after the launch, you can look forward to it.

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