Earlier this week, we were given the opportunity to get behind the wheel of JAC‘s T9 bakkie lineup for the first time. During the event, the Chinese automaker confirmed they will be entering the three row, ladder-frame premium SUV segment.
Looking for your next new or used bakkie? Find it here with CARmag!
Second to the driving experience of the T9 bakkie and the global 60th birthday celebration of the Chinese brand, Karl-Heinz Göbel, CEO of JAC Motors South Africa went into significant detail of how the relatively unknown automaker plans on continuing with a widescale offensive into the local market. One of the models that was briefly touched on is what was vaguely referred to as the T9 SUV. The SUV wears a near identical front fascia to its bakkie counterpart, with a similar (if not identical) fender, arch lining and potentially even the front doors being borrowed from its sibling.
Despite little information on the SUV being divulged, it can be expected to share JAC’s JL32 architecture, which underpins the T9 bakkie that made its debut at the 2020 Beijing Auto Show. It will likely receive the same powertrain as well, which in the case of the T9 bakkie is a 2.0-litre turbodiesel motor capable of 125 kW and 410 N.m, delivering power to the rear wheels, or all four, depending on the configuration. As a recap, all T9 on offer locally are outfitted with either 4×2 or 4×4 and can be purchased in Lux or Super Lux iterations.
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The SUV will likely also play in the same performance and packaging category as its bakkie sibling, which measures in at 5 330 mm long, 1 965 mm wide and 1 920 mm high while its wheelbase measures 3 110 mm. The T9 s also capable of a maximum payload of 1 000 kg and can tow a maximum braked capacity of 3 500 kg. All of these parameters are chief in why Göbel claims it has the Fortuner, Pajero Sport, MU-X, Everest and Scorpio-N as key rivals.
Related: Review: JAC T9 4X4 Super Lux
With the official unveiling of the T9 taking place earlier this week, JAC further added that the SUV will debut in South Africa in the second quarter of 2025 and that further details would be announced in due course. Considering the flagship T9 bakkie, brimmed with a plush interior and tech is priced within the R700 000 mark, how much do you think this SUV will be offered from when it arrives on local shores?
Looking for your next new or used vehicle? Find it here with CARmag!
