The Bear-Faced Great Wall Haval M2 Spotted in the Philippines

    Even the boxy hatchback/SUV trend of the mid to late 2000's found its way to the Red Republic. With the Nissan Cube and the Toyota bB at the height of its popularity, a globally unknown automaker by the name of Great Wall Motors, stemming from the city of Baoding, knew what had to be done. And soon after, competing with the Cube and the Kia Soul, the Great Wall Haval M2 was released.


    The Great Wall Haval M2 was released as a lifted version of the Great Wall Coolbear, a more city-oriented version of the car with looks matching the Scion xB, a rebadged form of the Toyota bB. Marketed for five years in China, and a few less in the Philippines after coming in a bit later, the Haval M2 had hopes for success. It may have been a bit of a clone, but it still retained the practicality and space buyers wanted from a boxy crossover. Unfortunately, it did not fair well, both in China and the Philippines, and has become quite the rarity these days.


    Like stated, the Haval M2 was too much of a clone. However, despite the fact that it was a copy, the roomy hatchback still was a magnet for attention due to its notable appearance. From its large front headlamps, two-tone paint, all the way to its large cabin exterior, and double tail lights gave it a cartoon-y kind of look, something you would see on your average 3D animated movie-of-the-week from Dreamworks. Its strangely cute exterior made it feel safe and gave off anything but intimidation.


    However, another unfortunate matter rises. Its offering of only one engine of choice, a 1.5L gas engine, didn't exactly bid the buyer a buffet of options. The Haval M2 at most generated 99 brake horsepower and was only available in CVT in our domestic market, thus bearing an extensively limited amount of preferences for the consumers. At best, it only offered options for its paintjob.


    Inside, the interior was an almost straight copy from the Toyota bB, even including its lone center speedometer. However, since the bB's interior was already practical in nature, the Haval M2 was able to capture that essence of utility. Its large cabin, like stated earlier, gave the driver and its passengers tons of headroom. This however, aggravated its center of gravity, giving the tall car a heightened increase in body rolls.


    In general, the Haval M2 was not a bad attempt at the boxy crossover trend. It could've used more originality and options, which might've increased its chances of success, but its obscurity here was also heightened due to its unknown brand name, and scarcity of parts. But if one was in the search for a relatively obscure car here in the Philippines, that you wouldn't most likely find in ten years time, a Great Wall Haval M2 is your choice.

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