Haval SA Boss Says Chinese Brand’s SUVs Are 'Bulletproof'

The head of Haval Motors South Africa says the Chinese brand’s vehicles are “reliable” and even “bulletproof”, specifically when it comes to local driving conditions…

The man who heads up Haval Motors South Africa claims the Chinese firm’s vehicles are “bulletproof”, adding the crossovers are particularly well suited to South African driving conditions.

Conrad Groenewald, Chief Operations Officer of Haval Motors SA, made the comments while speaking to Cars.co.za video journalist, Ciro De Siena, during an exclusive interview covering a broad range of topics.

Watch the full interview with Haval Motors SA’s COO here

“I think a huge part of the success of the [Haval] brand and what we’ve done is how reliable the products are and just [that] they are bulletproof, specifically for South African conditions and driving conditions,” Groenewald said.

Haval Motors SA was founded as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Chinese group in 2017, replacing GWM South Africa, which had distributed single- and double-cab bakkies (and later a few passenger vehicles as well) locally since early 2007. In 2022, the Chinese group posted local sales of 22 644 units, an improvement of 18.79% compared with 2021 and enough to see it climb a place to 9th overall.

*Haval models such as the latest H6 have proved popular with SA buyers.*

“I think everything in the automotive industry starts with DQR: durability, quality, reliability. I think those 3 pillars, we’ve absolutely nailed. You do get that question and we do get asked often: ‘do they last?’. Haval’s only been in the country for 5 years now, so it’s a relatively new brand and only time will tell.

“I wish we could sometimes just press the fast-forward button – to 5 or 10 years from now – and say ‘look, they’re still there; we’re still on the road; they’re bulletproof; they’re reliable’. It’s the one instance where you wish your life away so people can experience actually how reliable these products are,” explained the former Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa executive.

Groenewald said he believed the brand’s products and prices were “right” for the local market, adding the company was “growing rapidly” with various “dealership expansion strategies in mind”.

“But, as I said, only time will tell. We’re very confident that the vehicles that we sell today and the vehicles that we in fact sold 5 years ago, you still see on the road and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them.”