Frontal design has been tweaked to differ incrementally from the J7. Image: Jaecoo via motor1.com UK
A model of which little has been known until now, Chery-owned Jaecoo has released the first, undisguised, teaser images of the incoming 5 which will be called J5 in certain markets.
Mentioned as recent as the Kyalami Festival of Motoring in August as having received approval for South Africa come 2025, the J5 will effectively become Jaecoo’s smallest model below the J7 and the all-electric J6 the local market will be privy in the first quarter of next year.
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Additionally set to become the fourth Jaecoo model on local soil after the mentioned pair, as well as the incoming J8, the J5 adopts an appearance similar to the J7, but with an expected shrunken dimensional footprint and different engine options.
Based on the images obtained by motor1.com UK, the J5 retains the same grille as the J7, but with restyled headlights and new L-shaped inlets on either side of the bumper.
The rear though appears unchanged as elements such as the roof integrated spoiler, LED light clusters and central Jaecoo script have all been kept.
According to a related report by Spain’s motor.es, the J5’s interior will also be similar to the J7, but with a change in specification and less space.
As a reference, the J7 measures 4 500 mm long, 1 865 mm wide and 1 680 mm while riding on a 2 672 mm long wheelbase. Boot space varies from 412-litres to 1 335-litres with the split rear seat folded down.
Up front, the J5 is likely to eschew the J7’s 1.6 T-GDI engine for the smaller 1.5 T-GDI that powers the Omoda C5, Chery Tiggo 7 Pro and the newly released range of Jetour models.
In the case of the latter pair as well as the C5, outputs are rated at 115kW/230Nm and 108kW/210Nm in the Tiggo 7 Pro.
Opposite of the T-GDI is the rumoured plug-in hybrid that will combine the mentioned 1.5 with a 19.27-kWh battery pack capable of producing at least 180kW/510Nm as 255kW/525Nm has been mentioned for the J7.
Also still to be confirmed are the driveline options, though speculation points to front-wheel-drive being standard and all-wheel-drive optional on higher-end trim levels.
For the time being, the J5 remains shrouded in mystery, however, with its local market arrival approved, and on the back of the images, expect more details to become apparent over the coming weeks.
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