Confirmed: Jaecoo PHEVs for SA
Fresh from their reveals at Auto China 2024, the Jaecoo PHEV (plug-in hybrids) are on their way to South Africa. Here’s what you can expect.
While there’s been some hesitancy in the sales of battery-electric vehicles (BEV) in our market due to unreliable electricity supply and higher-than-fair import duties, Jaecoo reckons that plug-in hybrids are a better vehicle to bridge the gap between internal combustion power and pure electric.
Complete details about the new products are still scarce, but Jaecoo representatives could confirm some specifications for us.
The new Jaecoo J7 features a 5th-generation 1.5-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine paired to an electric motor and has outputs of 255 kW and 525 Nm. A pure electric range of up to 88 km, consumption of 4.9 L/100 km as well as an endurance range of 1 200 km are claimed.
The J8 PHEV shares the same 1.5-litre engine, but features a more powerful hybrid system. With motors on both axles, outputs are pegged at 445 kW and 915 Nm, and the SUV is claimed to dash to 100 kph in just 5.4 seconds. Impressively, both Jaecoo PHEVs will feature V2L (Vehicle to Load), which allows the vehicle to become a power source, perfect for those adventuring types.
We got a chance to climb inside the cabins and first impressions hint at an interior that looks and feels plush and premium. Naturally, the vehicle’s both feature impressively large infotainment screens as well as an array of tech.
Of course, if someone wants to go the pure-electric route, sibling brand Omoda will be offering the E5 crossover this year. It’s essentially a C5 crossover, but with an electric powertrain. Official specs have yet to be confirmed for our market as the model is still undergoing SA testing and homologation, but the overseas model has a battery size of 61 kWh, giving it a range of 430 km, based on the WLTP cycle. Pricing will be critical and it will be fascinating to see where the vehicle sits in the Chery family hierarchy.
Jaecoo PHEV coming to South Africa?
Right now, as it stands, the all-electric Omoda E5 and Jaecoo J7 plug-in hybrid are confirmed for a South African market introduction this year, with the Jaecoo J8 plug-in hybrid expected at a later stage.
We’ll getting preview drives of these vehicles in China in the last week of April 2024. Stay tuned!