JAC Australia is pushing for an expanded range of electric vehicles and SUVs as the Chinese brand prepares to lock in its Australian product roadmap through to 2028.
The company says Australia’s requirements for EVs are now influencing JAC’s development of global platforms, while discussions are also advanced on adding SUVs to its local passenger vehicle line-up.
JAC Australia managing director Ahmed Mahmoud will visit the company’s headquarters in China next month, where future Australian models will be among the items on the agenda.
READ MORE: 2026 JAC Hunter X PHEV Review: Australia’s cheapest PHEV ute combines serious capability with useful EV range
READ MORE: Australia’s JAC Hunter PHEV tune goes global: Local engineering adopted for overseas markets
READ MORE: Australia’s cheapest PHEV ute confirmed from $49,988 as JAC Hunter targets BYD Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha
“We are going to be ratifying what our product roadmap looks like out to 2028,” Mahmoud told EV Central.
If approved by head office, those plans could bring an SUV based on the Hunter PHEV/T9 ute as well as an expansion into the Australian passenger vehicle market with additional SUVs.
“There’s been some advanced conversations around SUV [for the passenger car market],” Mahmoud said.
“So I’d like to think that in the next, you know, year or two, we’re going to start production of an Australian-spec SUV.
“But as you can imagine, there’s a whole bunch of market entry study, business planning, commercial testing for it to work.
“The great news is that JAC China sees Australia as strategically important.
“And that not only means that they overinvest in products like the Hunter, that also means that the requirements of the market around SUVs or electric vehicles, for example, are high on the list of their considerations when they build a global platform.”
If approved for an Australian launch, the new models would also receive local suspension tuning ahead of their arrival.
The ute-based SUV, expected to be badged JS9, would give JAC a rival for models such as the Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X. It is expected to share its underpinnings with the T9/Hunter, although its Australian powertrain has yet to be confirmed.
The JS9 is expected to enter production early next year, although an Australian launch has yet to be confirmed.
JAC’s electrification push will also extend into its commercial vehicle business, with a 4.5-tonne electric truck already in Australia ahead of a planned launch early next year.
It will be sold alongside a diesel version as JAC looks to leverage its existing light-truck experience in Australia.
The trucks will initially target fleet customers, with 14 companies set to take part in real-world evaluations beginning this month.
“JAC Trucks now comes under our responsibility. And we’ve got an EV 4.5 [tonne truck] in the country at the moment,” Mahmoud said.
“That will be the first truck that we launch early next year [along with a diesel version] and we’re fast tracking a factory-built tipper.
“So lots and lots of exciting things happening in our commercial space for us.”
An expanded JAC product portfolio will also require the company to grow its Australian dealer network from its current 49 outlets and increase nationwide service support.
“More doesn’t necessarily mean better. It just means that we need to make sure that they’re in the right spots,” Mahmoud said.
“We have a couple of open points that we’re discussing with certain dealer groups to fill at the moment.
“We’re looking at an authorised service network as well.
“It’s no good just having a whole bunch of assurances [seven-year warranty, ute-for-ute loan program] if you don’t have a dealership within, you know, a reasonable amount of time from where you live or where you work.
“So that’s been high on the agenda for us to make sure that we have the right number of dealers in the right spots and that we also have a complementary authorised service network to support our dealers.”
