Hol-Music and Hol-Pilot bound to raise some eyebrows for Chinese Sehol

Having already prompted giggles and no doubt more than a few unsavoury comments from South Africans for its name, Chinese automaker Sehol is unlikely to escape widescale laughter for its latest feature denominators on the X8 Plus.

Launched earlier this month priced from the directly converted equivalent price tag of R238 130 to R333 573, the six or seven-seat X8 Plus, which bears a resemblance to the Beijing X55 when viewed from the front and the Haval Jolion from the rear, sports an up-to-date minimalistic interior resplendent with a dual 12.3-inch instrument cluster and infotainment system.

Getting it badly wrong

The tech fest, which also includes Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning and Autonomous Emergency as part of the safety systems, is, however, blighted by the umbrella term the automaker refers to as Hol-Pilot as it supports Level 2 autonomous driving.

ALSO READ: My kar se wat!? China’s Sehol X8 Plus would need a name change before selling in South Africa

If not badly named enough, the X8 Plus comes with a 12-speaker 3D surround sound system called Hol-Music the automaker says provides an ambience and experience similar to watching a live performance in a concert hall.

According to Car News China, the list of the X8 Plus’ more conventionally named features include a 64 colour ambient lighting system, LED headlights, Hill Start Assist, push-button start, voice activation, a surround-view camera system and just as hysterically as the Sehol name itself, an ioniser purification system integrated into the climate control.

Power not to be experienced

Measuring 4 825 mm long with a wheelbase of 2 830 mm, height of 1 758 mm and width of 1 870 mm, the Sehol X8 Plus is motivated by a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that delivers 135kW/300Nm to the front wheels via a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Combined fuel consumption is 7.9 L/100 km.

A brand founded by Volkswagen’s Seat division as part of a joint venture with China’s JAC Motors originally under the Sol name as a way paying homage to Seat’s Spanish heritage and indeed the Spanish word for sun, the X8 Plus won’t be coming to South Africa at all as it would have required a name on all of the mentioned fronts to avoid unwanted finger pointing and gestures.

Additional images and information from sohu.com.