LATEST NEWS
Plug-in JAC ute undergoing NZ pre-launch workout
Richard Bosselman
May 5, 2026
Factory to sort any foibles uncovered by extensive Kiwi-relevant testing.
AN impending one-tonne plug-in hybrid petrol ute might yet be further refined for New Zealand conditions, should that be warranted.
Set to be launched at the national field days at Mystery Creek, the new version of the JAC T9 that has been on sale in pure diesel format for the past year has just completed an extensive regional development programme, conducted in Australia and involving factory technicians.
Today JAC’s New Zealand distributor said it now has at least one example here for pre-sale testing to ensure it stacks up in local conditions.
It seems the programme is of different scale to that in Australia, which puts the model through more than 50,000km of testing in Australia.
JAC centred at the ex-Holden proving ground at Lang Lang, Victoria, which is about to curtail as a car testing venue, having been sold to a defence contractor. Lang Lang, which opened in 1957 and covers 870 hectares, has also been a test centre for GWM.
The JAC programme across the Tasman ran for around six months with the vehicle's durability and dynamics, powertrain performance and calibration, towing, and load-carrying capacity assessed and refined. On-road and off-road capabilities, acceleration and braking, and Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) were tested and apparently adjusted.
When questioned about the NZ schedule, which will take the vehicle the length of the country, and what it entails JAC NZ senior marketing manager Kathryn Hayward said it wasn’t fair to suggest what was happening now was more of a trial run of a vehicle after the regional specification was signed off by the factory.
“It’s both, we're trialing it to make sure it stacks up for Kiwis, and we're testing it locally in NZ… we would say the two aren't mutually exclusive.
“The testing will inform whether any fine-tuning is warranted for NZ.
“In the past we’ve generally found things are pretty close, sometimes it comes down to something as straightforward as a software tweak.
“Either way feedback from NZ testing goes back to the factory.”
She reminded JAC has been building trucks and vehicles for over 60 years, across multiple platforms, markets and vehicle types “so they’re not starting from scratch.”
She said the brand hungry to grow the brand in NZ “and are receptive to feedback, constantly making tweaks and refinements.”
“We’ve seen that with the diesel T9 too with vehicles arriving today receiving continual improvements over the ones we first drove here in NZ.”
Unlikely to adopt the Hunter designation it gets across the Tasman, the PHEV edition combines two electric motors with a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine for a targeted combined output of 385kW/1000Nm.
The 31.2kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery is rated to bring 100km of all-electric driving range. The edition also has 3.3kW vehicle to load output, essentially turning it into its own generator to run power tools and appliances.
The diesel T9 is powered a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine making 125kW and 410Nm, running through an eight-speed gearbox, a part-time four-wheel-drive system with a low-range transfer case and locking rear differential.
JAC has claimed the PHEV possesses the “hard-working payload and towing capabilities our region would expect of a dual-cab ute”. The T9 turbo-diesel currently has a braked towing capacity of 3200kg and a payload of 1045kg.
JAC NZ showed off a China-market example of the PHEV at last year’s field days, an event the make now sponsors.
Rivals already here are the Ford Ranger PHEV, the BYD Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha.
In shared comment, JAC NZ’s general manager Andrew Craw said local timing for another PHEV ute couldn't be better.
“There's never been a more relevant time for a vehicle like this, as Kiwis look for options that balance performance, capability and efficiency.
“Putting it through real-world Kiwi conditions is critical to making sure it delivers where it matters most - so we can say with confidence it does what it says on the tin!”
He said the example here will “travel from the far North to the deep South and put the ute through its full range of ute duties from towing and off-roading to everyday worksite and family demands … “giving it a proper Kiwi thrashing.”
The images of the camouflaged T9 seen here were also issued today, but are of the diesel version.
