While previous Chinese ute brands have failed in the market, following local testing, Colonial Motor Company division NZ Automotive Limited has come out all guns blazing with the launch of the JAC Motor T9 4×4 ute.
The ‘JAC of all trades’ T9 ute is being launched at $49,990, including GST but excluding on-road costs
It’s powered by a 125kW/410Nm 2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine mated to an 8-speed ZF automatic with a low-range transfer box and differential lock. Fuel consumption is quoted at 7.6L/100km.
The JAC T9 4×4 ute has a five-star ANCAP safety rating. It is offered to New Zealand buyers with a five-year, 200,000km warranty and 24/7 roadside assistance.
The latest Chinese ute market entrant will become available for test drives from dealerships in January 2025, and customer deliveries will begin in February 2025.
New Zealand is the latest market to receive the T9 4×4 double cab, following its debut in China, South America, South Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia.
Unlike Australia, which has two versions of the T9 ute, the entry-spec Oasis and the top-spec Haven, JAC Motor New Zealand has elected to import the highest available specification.
The T9 ute offers leather upholstery, heated front seats, climate control, a large HVAC touchscreen, Apple Car Play/Android Auto, 18 ADAS functions, including a Driver Monitoring System, seven airbags, an automatic electric parking brake, wireless device charging, and a centre console that keeps pies warm or drinks cold as needed.
NZAL (JAC Motor New Zealand) has appointed nine dealers for the T9 ute, and Southpac Trucks has also been appointed as a parts and service provider.
JAC is pronounced as Jack, but the initials are an anagram for Jianghuai Automobile Company, founded in China’s Hefei province 1964. JAC exported its first light-duty truck in 1990, passenger production began in 2002, and heavy truck production began in 2003.
In 2015, JAC produced its first one-tonne pick-up, the T6, for local and export consumption. It was followed by the T8 ute in 2019 and the T9 ute in 2021.
Volkswagen Group (China) took its first financial stake in JAC in 2017 and reportedly now holds a 50% shareholding. More than 20% of utes exported from China are the JAC brand, and more than 320,000 have found homes in 132 overseas markets.
Market expectations
More than 20% of one-tonne utes sold in New Zealand are equipped with a 2-litre turbodiesel engine, and JAC Motors wants to increase that market penetration with the T9.
It has unashamedly developed the tongue-in-cheek marketing catchphrase ‘JAC of all trades’ for the T9 ute as it pitches the new entrant as a value proposition to tradespeople and business fleets.
JAC Motors general manager Andrew Craw notes that Colonial Motor Company owns eight agricultural machinery dealerships in the South Island. He believes the company will be one of the first to run the T9 ute on its fleet.
Craw confirms the brand is targeting the ‘tradie’ market by offering such a highly specified vehicle at a competitive price.
He says the T9 is a workhorse that shares the DNA of the JAC Motor light-duty trucks being marketed by NZAL. Craw says buyers should take confidence that the T9 ute uses components from internationally recognised component suppliers such as Borg Warner, Eaton, Bosch, Honeywell, Gates and Federal-Mogul.
Before the market launch, NZAL imported several vehicles for local testing to ensure the T9 was up to the task. Craw says this is standard procedure for any light or heavy commercial vehicle it considers for local sale.
Initial impressions
Like most utes, the T9 sounds like a tractor when fired up, but the four-cylinder turbodiesel soon warms up and settles down to a quieter hum as you set off, and the eight-speed transmission likes to select the highest possible gear as quickly as possible.
However, the automatic seems to harness the engine power and torque to use best, and we have yet to find it wanting. The brake pedal felt solid and reassuring, but narrow car parks were challenging for the 4×4’s turning circle.
The unladen ride quality betrays the T9’s load-carrying and off-road capability; it is pretty stiff, and you notice the minute vibrations through the chassis, even on smooth asphalt surfaces.
