JMC Grand Avenue: Ford-powered Chinese bakkie for SA?
Cars.co.za has discovered trademark filings that suggest the JMC Grand Avenue could be on its way to SA, with this Chinese bakkie intriguingly powered by Ford engines…
Yes, yet another Chinese contender could be gearing up to enter South Africa’s bustling bakkie segment. Cars.co.za has discovered local trademark applications suggesting the JMC Grand Avenue might be on the cards for Mzansi, complete with Ford power.
Before we dive into the details, let’s take a step back. Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC) certainly isn’t a new marque to South Africans, having over the years offered passenger vehicles like the Landwind, bakkies such as the Vigus and larger commercial vehicles like the Carrying.
But, as things stand, there are currently no JMC products on SA’s new-vehicle market. In fact, as reported by IOL Motoring, WilGin Holdings (which incidentally distributes DFSK products locally) has taken over the parts, servicing and warranty responsibilities of the JMC brand in Mzansi. From what we understand, however, that agreement extends to official importing and distribution rights for new JMC products as well.
And that brings us neatly to the JMC Grand Avenue ladder-frame bakkie, which may well be on WilGin’s radar (likely alongside the latest version of the Vigus, if we’d have to guess). Cars.co.za did some digging and discovered that in July 2023, JMC’s head office in Nanchang applied to register the “Grand Avenue” badge here in South Africa, with the application accepted in May 2024 and the trademark advertised in June 2024. If unopposed, registration should be complete later this year.
At the same time, JMC also filed to trademark the “Dadao” nameplate (as well as the corresponding logo) in Mzansi, with this word mark likewise still listed as pending at the time of writing. For context, Dadao was officially launched in China in 2023 as a standalone pick-up brand under the JMC umbrella. So, in China, the JMC Grand Avenue is also offered as the Dadao Mohe.
Available exclusively in double-cab form, the Grand Avenue measures 5 450 mm from nose to tail and has a wheelbase of 3 270 mm. While that makes it 100 mm longer than a Ford Ranger double cab, the JMC’s wheelbase is exactly the same as that of the Blue Oval bakkie. For the record, JMC builds the Chinese-spec Ranger at its Xiaolan assembly plant (the same production site of the Grand Avenue, we suspect) as part of its joint venture with the Dearborn-based automotive giant.
As a reminder, the Ford Territory that recently launched in South Africa is also built by JMC, though at its Fushan facility. So, considering these 2 companies’ extensive joint-venture relationship as well as the fact Ford actually owns a stake in JMC, it’s perhaps not surprising the Grand Avenue is powered by engines from the American automaker.
Which motors exactly? Well, the JMC Grand Avenue (and thus Dadao Mohe) is produced in both petrol and diesel form, each available in 4×2 and 4×4 guise. The petrol engine is a version of Ford’s turbocharged 2.3-litre, 4-cylinder EcoBoost unit, which in (detuned) JMC guise offers 180 kW and 400 Nm through either a Getrag (MT82) 6-speed manual gearbox or a ZF-supplied 8-speed automatic transmission.
There’s also a 2.3-litre, 4-cylinder turbodiesel motor that JMC describes as the 5th generation of Ford’s “Puma” engine series (though its displacement of 2 296 cc doesn’t quite line up with any Blue Oval mills we can find). This oil-burning powerplant churns out 130 kW, while peak torque is listed as 400 Nm for the manual model and 450 Nm in the case of the self-shifting version.
Of course, we should point out that a trademark application is by no means a guarantee the automaker will use the badge in question. But there’s every chance that local distributor WilGin has plans to revive the JMC brand in South Africa, with the Grand Avenue – or Dadao Mohe, if it ends up wearing that badge here – perhaps the most likely candidate.
Finally, it’s also worth noting that JMC’s head office in China renewed its “Vigus” trademark in South Africa as recently as January 2024, leaving the door open for the latest version of this bakkie to come to Mzansi, too…
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