Great Wall Hover (Haval H3): the first Chinese car sold in Europe

The Great Wall Hover, sold in many markets as the Haval H3, was a compact SUV built by Great Wall Motors from April 2005 to 2012. In 2006 it became the first Chinese car to be exported to Western Europe in large numbers, with 30,000 units shipped to Italy, and its low price was its main argument against established rivals.

Great Wall Hover at a glance

Hover is the Chinese-market name of the Haval H3; the two records are covered by this one article, built from the English and Russian Wikipedia pages.

History of the Great Wall Hover

An SUV built from other makers’ parts

The Hover was Great Wall’s first serious SUV and the model that made the company known outside China. Part of the reason for its low price is that it borrowed heavily from older models: the entry-level engine was Mitsubishi’s 4G64 2.4 litre petrol four, the exterior resembles the Isuzu Axiom and the chassis follows the Isuzu MU. The Hover has a 2700 mm wheelbase and a 1520 mm track, and it was sold with either rear-wheel drive or selectable four-wheel drive.

Engines

Petrol Hovers used Mitsubishi’s Sirius four-cylinder engines: the 4G64, introduced in 1988 in the Mitsubishi Galant and rated at 128 hp (95 kW) for the 2005–2009 cars, and the 2.4 litre 4G69 from 2007 to 2010. The diesel version used an engine of Great Wall’s own design, the GW2.8TC. All versions had a five-speed manual gearbox. In China there were also 2.5 and 2.8 litre TCI diesels with 107 and 114 hp, both turbocharged and using Bosch common-rail injection; the 2.8 was sold from 2006 to 2009 and the 2.5 from 2009 to 2012.

Export and safety

The Hover was the first Chinese car to be exported in large quantities to Western Europe, with 30,000 units shipped to Italy in 2006. It met the Euro-III emissions standard at first, and from the 2009 model year the new engines made all versions Euro 4 compliant. In Italy a version called the EcoDual could run on LPG or CNG. The car scored three stars in Chinese C-NCAP testing and four stars in the Australasian ANCAP test carried out on 24 March 2010 on the post-2009 model. In Australia it was badged the Great Wall X240 until 2011.

The Hover Pi limousine

Great Wall also built a stretched, more luxurious version called the Great Wall Hover Pi (Hover π). The first one was given to Fidel Castro in 2006. It was the best-selling vehicle of its kind, most of its rivals being stretched by outside conversion companies rather than by the factory, and it was exported to Japan, South Korea, France, Italy, Malaysia, Russia and South Africa. In 2008 its length grew from 6.7 to 6.9 metres.

In Russia

The model made its Russian debut at the Moscow motor show in 2005 and was sold there as the Great Wall Hover from 2005 to 2015, at first imported from China and later assembled at Gzhel, with bodies welded first in Cherkessk and then in Lipetsk. Sales ran at 13,000 to 18,000 cars a year, and the Hover became one of the most popular Chinese vehicles in the country. It was restyled in 2010 and again in 2014, and in 2017–2018 it was built under licence as the DW Hower at Stavropol-Avto, where about 3,000 were assembled. In 2020–2021 the same model was built as the Haval H5 at Haval’s Tula plant.

Design and features

• Ladder frame and low price: the Hover was a genuine off-road-style SUV built to a price, using proven Isuzu and Mitsubishi components.
• Mitsubishi petrol engines: the 4G64 and 4G69 2.4 litre fours, with Great Wall’s own diesels alongside.
• Selectable four-wheel drive: rear-wheel drive in normal use, with a transfer case for off-road work.
• European export record: 30,000 cars to Italy in 2006, the first large Chinese export to Western Europe.

Great Wall Hover versions

• Hover 2.4 petrol (2005–2009): Mitsubishi 4G64, 128 hp.
• Hover 2.4 petrol (2007–2010): Mitsubishi 4G69.
• 2.8 TCI diesel (2006–2009): Chinese-market common-rail turbodiesel.
• 2.5 TCI diesel (2009–2012): the later common-rail diesel.
• EcoDual: Italian version able to run on LPG or CNG.
• Hover Pi: the stretched limousine, 6.7 metres and later 6.9 metres long.

The Hover shared its name with the Safe and Wingle family of Great Wall off-roaders. More cars are in the Great Wall collection.

Video: Great Wall Hover

Video by Большой тест-драйв on YouTube.

Sources

• Great Wall Haval H3, English Wikipedia: production, engines, safety, Hover Pi
• Great Wall Hover, Russian Wikipedia: Russian assembly, restylings, equipment