JAC Motors has confirmed the upcoming Hunter PHEV ute will be more powerful than its plug-in hybrid rivals, ahead of reservations for the new ute opening on May 5.
At the Melbourne motor show, JAC confirmed the Hunter PHEV will produce 360kW from its turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and pair of electric motors, up on previous figures reported by Torquecafe of 350kW.
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).
Reservations for the Hunter PHEV are due to open on May 5, and though JAC is yet to announce local pricing, it has said the first 1000 customers to put their name down will receive a complimentary home charger, with a charging capacity to be confirmed.
“Australians don’t need another soft hybrid,” said JAC Motors Global deputy general manager, David Zhang.
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“They need a ute that works hard, and just happens to be electrified. That is what Hunter is built to deliver.
“With JAC’s many years of chassis manufacturing expertise, and a powertrain engineered for real-world Australian conditions, long hauls, heavy loads, and long distances, Hunter delivers the performance you’d expect from a serious ute, and rewrites what power paired with efficiency looks like in a work vehicle.”
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, who 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.
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