Chinese SUV maker Haval has opened its doors in Australia, hoping to cash in on our love of premium brands and sports utilities.
China's bestselling SUV brand for the last 13 years, the Great Wall-owned Haval has started out modestly Down Under by initially offering a simple three-vehicle line-up available from four dealers across the country -- including a WA showroom at Autostrada in Burswood.
However, chief marketing officer Tim Smith said there were plans for expansion in the near future.
"It's the beginning of a new chapter for Haval and for automotive history in Australia," he said. "We are close to announcing a number of other dealerships around the country to join our foundation members and expect to have 10 Haval dealerships in place by the end of 2015."
The brand -- pronounced like gravel -- will at first offer the compact H2 and a pair of large SUVs: the comfort-oriented H8 and the off-road-aimed H9 seven-seater.
All models are offered in two trim levels -- Premium and LUX -- and save for the four- wheel-drive-only H9, are available in either two or all-wheel-drive.
The H2 has a choice of six- speed manual or automatic transmissions while the H8 and H9 are auto only.
Kicking off at $26,490 plus on-roads, the H2 has a generous amount of standard kit inluding keyless entry and start, auto lights and wipers, leather steering wheel, seven- inch high-definition touch screen and more, while in LUX guise it scores dual-zone climate control and a "kerbside blind-spot visual system" which uses a camera built into the rear-view mirror to display the kerb next to the left front wheel.
It has a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol unit offering 110kW and 210Nm and a none-too-impressive fuel economy ranging from 8.2- 9.0L100km depending on transmission and driveline.
The H8 and H9 offer different features in the large SUV class, much like the Kluger and Prado in the Toyota stable.
The H8 has a dual wishbone independent front suspension and multi-link independent rear suspension to maximise comfort, with standard kit such as leather seats, Xenon headlamps, sat nav, three-zone climate change and more available in the $41,990 Premium 2WD entry model upwards.
The H8 and H9 share the same 2.0-litre 160kW324Nm turbo-petrol engine, but the H9 has far more rugged aspirations. 
Like many commercial-based SUVs, the seven-seater has a ladder-frame chassis plus a dual-range transfer case and an electronic all-terrain response system in the LUX variant.
Haval will be hoping to buck the recent trend of new marques struggling in Australia, with Opel closing its doors in 2013 just a year after arriving and Infiniti largely failing to make its mark so far.
However, Havel spokesman Andrew Ellis said the company was focused on making a strong case for dealers to carry the brand and things would fall in line behind that.
Then, of course, there is also the poor reputation most Chinese cars have among Australian buyers.
A five-year warranty, five- year capped-price servicing and five-year roadside assist after- sales program should help allay fears, though Mr Ellis said the cars themselves would be the key driver in overcoming negativity. 
"We just need to get people in the cars, then they'll see -- just like our staff and dealers have," he said.
Autostrada Haval boss Paul Lombardi said he was quickly convinced to sell the vehicles.
"It didn't take too long driving the pre-production cars that the next big thing in Australian motoring is about to arrive," he said.
'It didn't take too long driving the pre-production cars that the next big thing in Australian motoring is about to arrive.'
Autostrada Haval's Paul Lombardi 
WestWHEELS will have a chance to drive the range at its official launch next month, so stay tuned for our initial impressions.
H2   
Premium 2WD:   $26,490 (man), $28,490 (auto) 
Premium AWD:   $28,990 (man only) 
LUX 2WD:   $28,490 (man), $30,490 (auto)  
LUX AWD:   $30,990 (man only)  
H8   
Premium 2WD:   $41,990 (auto only)  
Premium AWD:   $44,490 (auto only)  
LUX AWD:   $48,990 (auto only) 
H9   
Premium 4WD:   $46,490 (auto only)  
LUX 4WD:   $50,990 (auto only)