Watch out, RAV4? 2023 GWM Haval H6 update revealed, but will the mid-size SUV come to Australia to take on the likes of the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5?

The pace with which Chinese manufacturers update their models or introduce new ones seems to be increasing, with a new facelift for the GWM Haval H6 having been revealed officially in images.

Along with a significantly altered look for the third-generation Haval H6, which was revealed in 2020, the update brings more power and a slightly longer body, with an expected Chinese launch in Q3 this year.

Gone is the matrix of elements on the grille, now a more rounded nose and horizontal ‘strip’ grille replaces the H6’s face, looking closer to its electrified siblings in the Haval range.

The Haval H6 is also as much as 58mm longer and 54mm wider, according to Chinese reports from Car News China, while its engine choices remain a 1.5- or 2.0-litre turbo, with the addition of a plug-in hybrid version set to implement the brand’s new Hi4 hybrid technology.

The new look for the third-generation Haval H6 comes not long after Haval launched its H6 GT ‘SUV Coupe’ body style here, and so it’s officially unclear whether the brand’s local arm will bring the updated H6 to Australia soon, if at all.

For the first half of 2023, the H6 sold 70.7 per cent more units than it did in H1 2022, 4470 versus 2619, though the introduction within the last 12 months of the GT body style for the H6 - which is counted separately in official sales reporting - means the H6 has an extra 1950 sales to date this year, totalling 6420.

That puts it ahead of well-known mid-sizers like the Nissan X-Trail (5355), Honda CR-V (5022), and just behind the Kia Sportage’s 6584 sales.

Instead of bringing an update for the H6 to Australia, it’s possible GWM’s local arm will look to Haval’s newer mid-size SUV, the Xiaolong, which was revealed earlier this year, with apparent designs on becoming a popular mid-size hybrid SUV.

CarsGuide has sought further clarification, but when previously contacting GWM Australia regarding the Xiaolong upon its global reveal, a spokesperson declined to comment or speculate on future product.