Reservations for the JAC Hunter are now open in Australia, and though we still don’t have an official price, we know it’ll be the most affordable plug-in hybrid ute on sale locally.
JAC has confirmed the Hunter PHEV will “start from under $50,000” before on-road costs, undercutting the cheapest variants of the BYD Shark 6 ($57,900), GWM Cannon Alpha ($59,990), and Ford Ranger PHEV ($71,990).
In addition to the relatively low entry price, the first 1000 people to place reservations will receive a free home charger or a $500 voucher to spend on JAC genuine accessories.
“Our focus was simple, deliver a truly work-ready ute with class-leading power, serious towing capability and outstanding efficiency, without the premium price tag,” said JAC Motors Australia managing director, Ahmed Mahmoud.
“With Hunter, we’re giving Australian buyers everything they’ve been asking for and more, at a price point that changes the conversation.”
The JAC Hunter PHEV is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and pair of electric motors, producing up to 360kW. A torque output is yet to be confirmed, however previously it was suggested a 1000Nm figure was possible.
That helps the JAC Hunter PHEV to outgun the likes of the new BYD Shark 6 Performance (350kW and 700Nm), as well as the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV (350kW and 700Nm) and the Ford Ranger PHEV (207kW/697Nm).
JAC claims up to 1005km of combined driving range on the lenient NEDC lab test cycle, as well as a combined fuel consumption of just 1.6L/100km, also under lab test conditions. Previously it has said the 31.2kWh battery can provide 100km of electric-only driving range.
That’s more than double the Ford Ranger PHEV’s 49km claim, and identical to the Shark 6, however the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV is still the on-paper king with a 115km figure.
The GWM ute remains the king when it comes to on-paper claimed driving range, with a combined figure of 1060km, also on the NEDC cycle.
A payload capacity of 715kg has been reported overseas for the Hunter – more than the Cannon Alpha (685kg) but less than the Shark 6 (790kg) and Ranger (808-973kg).
JAC claims to have undertaken more than 50,000km of local testing with the Hunter PHEV, which has included utilising Holden’s former Lang Lang proving ground, spearheaded by Australian engineer Michael Barber.
Barber formerly worked for Holden as a vehicle dynamics development engineer across the Commodore VX-VE generations, before being promoted to a more senior role for the VF Commodore.
Unfortunately, the timing of reservations opening aligns with the news that Lang Lang will no longer be able to be used for the automotive industry, after it was reported that a defence contractor had purchased the site, with even its ‘permanent resident’ GWM in the process of leaving.
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