GWM completes 4,000th full-vehicle crash test, with the all-new Haval H7 PHEV as the milestone car

A four-thousand-test milestone with a plug-in hybrid at the centre

GWM has completed its 4,000th full-vehicle crash test at its safety laboratory in China, and chose the all-new Haval H7 PHEV as the milestone vehicle. As reported by GWM Australia's newsroom, the landmark assessment evaluated the plug-in hybrid SUV's structural integrity, occupant protection and post-collision safety performance, marking the endpoint of a testing programme that began with the company's first dedicated laboratory in 2008. ¹³

Autotalk Australia, covering the same manufacturer announcement, confirmed the test examined the H7 PHEV's structural integrity, occupant protection and the management of its electrical and fuel systems following a collision, and noted the milestone reflects GWM's expanding electrified model range. ³

There is a discrepancy in which vehicle actually carried out the 4,000th test. According to Chinese automotive outlet Gasgoo, the milestone test on September 14 involved the right-hand-drive export version of the Haval Raptor, known as the Haval Menglong in China, fitted with child dummies representing a six-year-old and a ten-year-old. GWM Australia's later announcement names the all-new Haval H7 PHEV as the milestone vehicle, and most international coverage of the event follows that version. The difference has not been reconciled publicly, so both accounts are stated here as reported. ⁵⁷¹

What the H7 PHEV assessment showed

According to GWM Australia's announcement, the passenger compartment of the H7 PHEV maintained its structural integrity with no significant deformation after the collision, helping prevent intrusion into the occupant survival space. All doors remained operable, front airbags and seatbelts operated as designed, and rear child dummies remained securely positioned within their child safety seats. ¹³

Because the vehicle is a plug-in hybrid, the assessment extended to post-collision system behaviour. GWM Australia reported that the H7 PHEV's high-voltage electrical system automatically disconnected after the impact, the fuel system remained intact with no leakage detected, and hazard warning lights activated to alert surrounding road users. GWM framed the results as demonstrating performance across three stages of crash safety: maintaining structural integrity, protecting occupants during the impact and managing key systems immediately afterwards. ¹³⁴

It is worth underlining, as Poland's Newsauto noted, that this remains a test conducted in the manufacturer's own laboratory rather than an independent assessment by an organisation such as Euro NCAP or ANCAP. GWM separately points to multiple models holding five-star ratings from ANCAP in Australia and New Zealand and Euro NCAP in Europe, but the H7 PHEV result itself is a manufacturer-reported outcome. ⁶¹³

Inside the 57,000-square-metre laboratory

The milestone test was conducted at GWM's 57,000-square-metre safety facility, representing RMB 510 million in investment, which GWM Australia converts to about A$107 million. The company describes it as Asia's largest independent in-house automotive safety testing laboratory, built around a self-developed 'Five-Zone, Eight-Track' layout able to recreate a wide range of collision types, impact angles and complex real-world accident scenarios. ¹³

The facility's capabilities span full-vehicle crash testing, restraint-system development, structural safety evaluation, pedestrian protection and integrated active and passive safety validation. GWM Australia says the laboratory can test vehicles against the requirements and protocols of major international markets, and that physical crash testing is supported by digital simulation recreating thousands of road and emergency scenarios during vehicle development. ¹³⁴

Instrumentation includes the latest generation of crash-test dummies representing an investment of more than RMB 100 million (about A$21 million), which GWM Australia says collect detailed biomechanical data, and high-speed cameras recording at up to 4,000 frames per second to analyse structural performance, occupant movement, restraint systems and airbag deployment. Gasgoo, in its earlier report, put the laboratory's cost at 510 million yuan, or roughly US$71.8 million, using a different currency conversion; the underlying figure is the same. ¹³⁷

Chairman: safety verification must not be rushed

As Gasgoo reported, GWM chairman Wei Jianjun marked the completion of the 4,000th crash test on September 14 with pointed comments about the state of competition in the Chinese automotive industry, likening the market to 'dumplings being dropped into a pot' as new models arrive in rapid succession. He insisted GWM will not compress or skip any step in its safety verification process to keep pace with rivals. ⁷⁵

Wei acknowledged, per Gasgoo's account of his remarks, that safety laboratories are an 'invisible investment' that does not directly translate into sales, but argued that 'building cars must hold the safety bottom line' so consumers receive reliable protection in critical moments. He said the new laboratory's core value lies in supporting the development of global models with higher safety margins, and that 'safety has red lines and bottom lines, but no ceiling.' ⁷⁵

Eighteen years of crash testing, and a global market focus

GWM built its first independent safety laboratory in 2008, becoming the first Chinese automaker to do so according to Gasgoo's reporting of Wei's remarks, and has accumulated 4,000 crash tests over the following 18 years. GWM Australia's announcement likewise traces the programme from that 2008 opening to the 2026 milestone. ⁵⁷¹

The choice of an electrified vehicle for the milestone test reflects the extra considerations plug-in and electric models bring, including battery and high-voltage system behaviour during and after an impact, which GWM Australia highlighted via the H7 PHEV's automatic high-voltage isolation. Separately, GWM says it has developed comprehensive safety validation covering new energy vehicle batteries, a claim relayed by Automotive World alongside the note that the H7 is designed for global markets and that the milestone was cited as validation ahead of its planned overseas market entry. ¹²

On active safety, the H7's international-market specification includes a high-strength body structure with reinforced load paths, along with emergency braking assistance, collision warnings and lane keeping systems, as described in GWM-supplied material published by Automotive World. Several GWM models hold five-star ratings from ANCAP and Euro NCAP, which the manufacturer points to as independent endorsement of its safety development programme; the H7 PHEV's own rating status under those programmes is not stated in the available announcements. ²¹³