Jetour gives first hints of incoming bakkie and expanded SUV range

Having seen its global sales increase from 40 009 in its founding year six years ago to 439 327 units over the first ten months of 2024, Chery-owned Jetour provided an official preview of its products between now and 2027 at its maiden Worldwide Travel conference in Fuzhou this past Friday.

Announced at its official South African launch in Sandton two months ago, the revised line-up will consist of four models joining the T2 and the newly launched T1 as part of what Jetour calls its off-road product portfolio by said year.

Of the models mentioned in Sandton, only the unnamed hatchback didn’t receive any citing at Fuzhou, while the entry-level T0 also remained under wraps despite still being planned for unveiling in 2027.

T5

With the reveal of the T1 last month, a model already approved for South Africa from next year, attention now focuses on the T5 Jetour confirmed will be making its production debut in China in October next year.

Another model penned-in for the local market, but most likely only from 2026 as exports will only commence in December next year, the T5 will sit above the T2 in an eventual five-model T-series now set to be topped by the previously unmentioned T7.

Shown as a concept at the Beijing Auto Show earlier this year, the T5’s initial details will consist of seating for five, six or seven, a ladder-frame chassis, centrally locking differential and a plug-in hybrid drivetrain.

Utilising its parent company’s latest hybrid hardware, the T5 will combine the existing 2.0 T-GDI engine used in the Tiggo 8 Pro Max with a pair of electric motors for a total system output of 540kW/795Nm.

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Paired to a two-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT), the T5 will get from 0-100 km/h in a claimed 4.6 seconds and have a combined range of around 1 000 km.

T7

At the other end of the scale, the newly announced T7 will take direct aim at the YangWang U8 made by rivalling brand BYD as the latest amphibious SUV.

Set to arrive either next year or in 2027, the T7 will make “off-roading interesting”, according to Jetour, as apart from the amphibious capability of up to 40 minutes, it will be bulletproof and bombproof in addition to having a “full-time intelligent lift” suspension.

Unlike the T2 and T5, the T7’s electrified powertrain will be an extended range hybrid in which propulsion comes exclusively from the electric motor and batteries.

Similar to Nissan’s e-Power, the T7’s configuration will see the 2.0 T-GDI engine merely serve as a generator for a batch of four electric motors. No output figures were disclosed.

P5

Finally, the most significant addition from a South African perspective side will be the P5 bakkie due to arrive in 2026.

Approved for the local market in 2027, the P5 will ride on the same platform as the T5 and similar to the BYD Shark and locally-made Ford Ranger PHEV, employ a plug-in hybrid powertrain made-up of a pair of electric motors combined with the 2.0 T-GDI.

A setup that positions it between the Shark’s electrified 1.5 T-GDI and the Ranger’s 2.3 EcoBoost, the P5 will have a combined range of 1 400 km and a claimed all-electric range of 150 km based on China’s CLTC’s measurements.

While possibly set to be based on Chery’s first-ever bakkie known to be in development, the P5 will have a Jetour specific look, a centrally locking diff-lock and what the brand calls a “trendy and functional” interior.

Moreover, it will get a multi-functional tailgate similar to the Great Wall Motors (GWM) P500 that will open and close in three different ways.

More details later

As with the T5 and T7, more details regarding the P5 will only emerge throughout the course of 2025.

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