Why Did Great Wall Discontinue the H1?

[BraxtonAnn]

Great Wall discontinued the H1 for the following reasons: 1. Controversial exterior design: The Haval H1 adopted Haval's family design language with an overall youthful style. However, its rear end appeared too compact and abrupt, lacking smoothness - some even joked it had 'no butt.' 2. Overly simplistic interior: The H1's cabin design was rather basic and somewhat cheap-looking, failing to align with young consumers' preferences. 3. Limited practicality: The Haval H1's trunk space became a major complaint point - too small to accommodate significant luggage without folding down the rear seats, which was a notable drawback.

[StJudah]

The discontinuation of the Great Wall H1 is largely related to product positioning adjustments. At the time, Great Wall wanted to focus on its mainstay models like the best-selling H6. As an entry-level compact SUV, the H1 already had slim profit margins, and with fierce market competition from rivals like the Baojun 510, which offered lower prices and better features, the H1 gradually lost its market share. Additionally, when China's emission standards upgraded to China VI, the cost of retrofitting the H1's outdated platform was too high, leading to its discontinuation. I also noticed that the Haval brand later underwent a youth-oriented transformation, with new trendy series like the Chitu and Dagou, making the H1's older design incompatible with the new direction. Ultimately, it was a result of market elimination, though you can still find well-maintained used H1 models in the second-hand car market for daily commuting.

[Kinsley]

The discontinuation of the Great Wall H1 was primarily due to the company's strategic transformation. The small SUV market was highly competitive during those years, with new models like the Geely Binyue and Changan CS35 offering high configurations at low prices, making it difficult for the H1 to maintain its sales. Additionally, Great Wall was focusing on promoting new platforms at the time, such as the later Lemon platform, and the H1's outdated technical architecture simply couldn't keep up. There was also internal product line conflict, with the H2 and the later-released M6 competing for the same price segment of customers, so the decision was made to discontinue the H1 and concentrate resources. Regarding user feedback, many long-time owners complained about the H1's cramped rear seating and poor sound insulation, but its 1.5L engine was indeed fuel-efficient and durable. Now, you can pick up a used H1 for just over 30,000 yuan.

[VonVivienne]

The most direct reason for the H1's discontinuation was its thin profit margin. The small SUV segment was later dominated by brands like Wuling and Baojun, which drove prices down to the 50,000 yuan range. The H1, priced at over 60,000 yuan at the time, simply couldn't compete. Emission regulation upgrades were another fatal blow—adapting to the China 6 standards would have required prohibitively expensive engine modifications. After crunching the numbers, Great Wall decided discontinuation made more financial sense than retooling. Looking at Haval's current lineup, even the H2 is gone as the brand consolidates around premium compact SUVs—the H6 is now in its third generation. Production capacity allocation also played a role, with Chongqing factory retooling for new models and naturally phasing out older products.