Details firm for JAC Hunter PHEV ute

JAC Motors Australia has announced range and fuel efficiency figures for its forthcoming Hunter plug-in hybrid, four-wheel drive, dual-cab utility.

Set to make its formal debut at the upcoming Melbourne Motor Show – which runs from April 10-14 at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre – the JAC Hunter PHEV is claimed to offer combined cycle fuel consumption of just 1.6 litres per 100km (albeit measured against the lenient NEDC scale) with a resulting combined electric and petrol driving range of 1005km.

“We are launching the right ute, at the right time, and it will be at the right price,” said JAC Motors Australia managing director Ahmed Mahmoud.

“The Hunter PHEV is arriving in Australia mid this year, and we believe it is going to get the attention of Australians looking to move into a plug-in hybrid without compromising on the capability, practicality and toughness they need from a ute.”

First deliveries of the JAC Hunter PHEV are slated for the middle of this year, the ute coming to market following an extensive localisation program the Chinese importer has dubbed ‘Project: No Shortcuts’.

The evaluation program has seen the utility travel more than 50,000km in the name of fine-tuning the chassis and ADAS technologies to local conditions, addressing past criticisms of early JAC models that were inappropriately calibrated for Australian conditions.

Competing with the likes of the BYD Shark 6, Ford Ranger PHEV, and the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV, the JAC Hunter is understood to draw power from the combination of a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and dual electric motors, delivering a total system output of 385kW and 1000Nm.

Speaking with GoAuto at last year’s Melbourne Motor Show, JAC Australia director of technical and support Hongjian Jiang said the Hunter PHEV uses a 32kWh lithium-ferrous phosphate battery which allows an electric-only range of 100km.

He said the battery output also allows for vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability to power work tools and other appliances.

The ute is claimed to offer a payload of more than 1000kg, outstripping all of its PHEV competition. Mr Jiang said the model currently offers a braked towing capacity of 3200kg but may be tuned to deliver the segment ‘standard’ of 3500kg.

Further details including pricing for the 2026 JAC Hunter PHEV will be announced at the Melbourne Motor Show on April 10.