Jetour in SA soon – 1st models confirmed
Jetour – described as a “sibling brand” of Chery – will soon launch in South Africa with the Dashing 5-seat and X70 Plus 7-seat medium SUVs. We spoke with the managing director of Jetour South Africa to find out about the brand’s plans for our market.
A handful of Chinese automakers have made their way onto the South African new-vehicle market in recent times. Following in the footsteps of Haval, came Chery (including Omoda its Jaecoo sub-brands), LDV and BYD, while JAC released the T9 and Foton is set to make a comeback with the Tunland G7.
Watch a promo video of the Jetour X7 Plus published by Jetour UAE
That list is about to grow with the imminent arrival of Jetour. We recently reported Jetour was bound for Mzansi and now we know with which models the brand will debut in September 2024, or soon after that.
Johnny Fang is at the helm of Jetour South Africa as it tries to gain a foothold in the domestic market.
Jetour is related to Chery, but not its sub-brand
“First of all, I want people to know that Jetour is an independent company (to Chery South Africa). The Chery Group owns our brand, but we are not like Omoda or Jaecoo,” Fang told Cars.co.za.
“This (the brand separation) is the same in China and all markets around the world. We are independent, with distinct R&D- and sales strategies. Jetour is a ‘brother’ brand to Chery,” he added.
When quizzed why Jetour chose to enter (an already tightly contested) South African new-vehicle market, Fang expressed optimism about the fledgeling Chinese brand’s prospects.
“We have seen other Chinese brands, (such as) Haval and our own ‘big brother’ (Chery) come to South Africa and become well-accepted in this market. That gave us the confidence to launch here.”
Fang has been doing his homework on the local market for some time and has often travelled between China and South Africa. He’s also been busy hiring staff for Jetour South Africa – the local headcount is said to be growing daily – and soon enough, the brand will announce itself via a marketing campaign.
“In a few days, we will invite the media to our new offices in Midrand. We see that people have been writing about Jetour and we don’t want the incorrect information to get out,” Fang said.
“The dealer nomination process is already complete. We will start to offer our products to the public by the third quarter of this year.”
Fang wants to have 40 Jetour dealers up and running in Mzansi within the 1st year of operation. Many of these will be standalone premises. But there will be Jetour dealerships within multi-franchise premises.
Watch a promo video of the Jetour Dashing published by Jetour UAE
But what exactly will be on the showroom floors of these new dealerships over the next 12 months?
“We will start with 2 models: the Dashing and the X70 Plus (in September 2024, if all goes to plan). We will offer both in Momentum and Deluxe variants.” This will make for a 4-variant line-up from the start.
The Dashing incorporates a futuristic design language – not too unlike those that we have seen in other Chinese crossover products – with skinny LED headlamps and creases down the flanks. The X70 Plus is more conventional in its appearance and offers seating for 7, while the Dashing can accommodate 5.
Fang also confirmed that the Dashing and X70 Plus will be powered by a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder turbopetrol engine. Unsurprisingly, this is a Chery Group engine, similar to that found in the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro.
In the 4 launch variants, the motor delivers 115 kW and 230 Nm of torque. Jetour will offer its products exclusively with dual-clutch auto transmissions and 4 launch derivatives will be front-wheel driven.
The powertrain may be borrowed from the factory parts bin, but Fang is quick to point out that the platform, which Jetour has dubbed its Kunlun architecture, is unique to the brand.
Following the initial launch, Jetour South Africa will roll out Pro variants of the Dashing and X70 Plus early next year. In Chery Group-speak “Pro” denotes a larger engine with higher outputs. In this case, it is most likely to be a 1.6-litre 4-cylinder turbopetrol that produces 145 kW with 290 Nm of torque.
Jetour T2 compact off-roader coming to South Africa in 2025
Also, expect the Jetour T2 compact off-roader to appear on local showroom floors during the 1st half of 2025. The rugged-looking T2 looks like a pudgy Suzuki Jimny, but the model is bigger than it looks (it’s 4 785 mm long and has a 2 800 mm wheelbase) and will be offered in front- and all-wheel-drive configurations.
Under the bonnet is a 186 kW/390 Nm 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbopetrol engine that drives either the T2’s front wheels or a 6th-gen BorgWarner all-wheel drive system via a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Watch a promo video of the Jetour T2 published by Jetour UAE
Positioned as a serious off-roader (in AWD guise), the T2 has 220 mm of ground clearance, 39-degree approach and 30-degree departure angles. The cabin layout is minimalist, but a sizeable infotainment screen is fitted.
This will be followed by the T1, a brand-new product that was unveiled at the 2024 Beijing Auto Show.
See also: Chery Jetour T1 to rival GWM Tank 300
When asked about the danger of cannibalising sales of other Chery Group brands, Fang emphasised that Jetour was determined to snaffle sales from legacy brands, not compete with Chery products.
“We want to cover the market areas that Chery does not. Our products have different DNA and designs. We want to take market share away from other, more established brands, not Chinese brands,” he said.
He is also bullish about his brand’s potential performance: “If you look at Chery, they are selling about 1 500 units per month. About half of that is Tiggo 4 Pro. We don’t have a model similar to Tiggo 4 Pro, so we should be looking at about 800 units per month once all 4 models are on sale.”
Fang is as optimistic about Jetour’s prospects in South Africa as he is about our country’s future.
“South Africa is the most stable economy in Africa. We believe this country will grow steadily and the trend here will be upward. This is also a very important RHD market for Chinese brands. We must succeed in South Africa,” he concluded.
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