Jaecoo J7 at the debut of the Jaecoo brand in April.
Ahead of its market reveal next year, Jaecoo parent company, Chery, has confirmed the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the incoming J7 will be available from the third quarter as the brand’s eventual third model.
Revealed alongside an off-road accessorised version of the standard J7 at Chery’s New Journey, New Life International User Summit in Wuhu two months ago, the plug-in hybrid J7 combines the smaller 1.5 T-GDI from the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro with a pair of electric motors on each axle.
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Known as the e-Hybrid+ in the Tiggo 7 and simply as the Hybrid in the case of the Tiggo 8, the setup develops a combined 180kW/510Nm in both models, though it remains to be seen whether the J7 will have the same outputs in addition to the claimed 110 km all-electric range.
Once on-sale, the J7 PHEV will bridge the gap between the standard J7 and the flagship J8, whose unveiling will take place in the final quarter of 2024.
A model not derived from Chery’s upscale Exeed brand similar to the Omoda C9 known as the Exeed Yaoguang in China and as the RX in export markets, the J8 will be powered by the same 2.0 T-GDI engine as the Tiggo 8 Pro Max with outputs of 187kW/400Nm.
Unlike in China, the J8 will be marketed solely with six-seats in South Africa most likely to avoid clashes with the seven-seat Tiggo 8 Pro and Pro Max on pricing.
As for the combustion engine only J7, motivation comes by way of the 1.6 T-GDI mill powering the Tiggo 7 Pro Max and Tiggo 8 Pro, but with reduced power and torque figures from 145kW/290Nm to 137kW/275Nm.
Similar to the PHEV, the J7 will be offered with all-wheel-drive, albeit as an option as Chery has confirmed the availability of front-wheel-drive on lower-end derivatives.
The J7’s sole transmission is a seven-speed dual-clutch with the hybrid getting a uniquely optimised option called Dedicated Hybrid Transmission or DHT.
Set to receive a 14.8-inch infotainment system, a 10.25-inch freestanding instrument cluster and an upscale Sony system, pricing for the standard J7 has been rumoured to start around the R650 000 to R700 000 mark, though official confirmation will only be made next year.
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