Chinese brand is Australia’s new Holden
It might so far only be known for a single dual-cab ute, but Chinese brand JAC has big plans for Australia, recruiting the dynamics engineer behind models like the VE and VF Commodore to prep its vehicles for local conditions.
Michael Barber, now of Multimatic but formerly of Holden, has been tasked with tuning the model’s next ute, the T9 Hunter plug-in hybrid, for sale in Australia, but the project will likely balloon from there, with JAC confirming a host of new vehicles on the cards for Australia.Â
“There’s a huge range, including trucks. There are passenger cars. There are small electric vehicles, which we’re also considering,” says Ahmed Mahmoud, Managing Director of JAC Motors Australia.
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“We can access the majority of those. We just need to make sure they’re fit for purpose, five-star ANCAP, all of those things.
“They’re the requirements of the average Australian. You can’t just bring junk into the country, right?Â
“If you’re going to bring something in, you’ve got to make sure that it fits the brand and what we’re trying to do. But it’s also not going to be ripped apart from an ANCAP or a driving perspective.”
Next to arrive for the brand will be a Ford Everest-style ute-based SUV that rides on the T9 platform, though it’s unclear whether it will take the diesel powertrain or the new and potent plug-in hybrid system. It is expected to arrive within the next 12 months.
Beyond that, the brand says “we have options for small passenger cars and SUVs in that hybrid or full electric space”.
Top of the list would surely be the JS6 PHEV – a mid-size SUV that pairs a to deliver a 120km all-EV driving range, and a total 1150kms on a tank of fuel and a charged battery. A bigger JS8 SUV offers three-rows of seating.
Also on the table is the smaller E30X city EV, a direct rival to models like the BYD Atto 2 and GWM Ora.Â
With a Holden flavour to the ride and handling, and a growing product portfolio, it makes JAC the latest Chinese brand to lean on local expertise to produce fit-for-purpose vehicles in our market.
“(Barber) is contracted to do a lot of the testing,” Mr Mahmoud says.
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