Haval H3 History

Launched in April 2005 under the 'Hover' name (later rebranded H3), the Great Wall Haval H3 was developed between 2004 and 2005 as an urban-oriented compact SUV successor to the earlier Great Wall Safe. It used Mitsubishi-sourced 2.4L (4G64) mechanicals and drew design inspiration from several established SUVs, but its defining advantage was price.

In 2006 the H3 became the first Chinese car to be exported in significant quantities to Western Europe, with 30,000 units shipped to Italy. This early export push established the Haval name internationally before the brand was formally spun off from GWM in 2013. Production ended around 2012 as the H6 took over as GWM's primary compact SUV.