Another new brand from China is heading to Australia in 2027, and this one could cause headaches for some established legacy brands.
Jetour, a brand that’s part of the wider Chery group, is coming to Australia with a range of SUVs and a dual-cab ute, and that’ll just be the start for the adventure-focused brand.
President of Jetour International, Ke Chuandeng, told media in China that the company sees Australia as a “dream market” because the Jetour brand aligns closely with the local mindset around adventure.
“Australia is one of our dream markets. It is a very large market, with around 1.2 million units in annual market size. We believe our models and products are very suitable for Australia, including the T1, T2, G700, and also the F700 pickup,” he said.
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The ‘T series’ models are more compact, with the closely related mid-size SUVs featuring unibody construction and a range of powertrain technologies including plug-in hybrids. They’re expected in the first quarter of 2027.
The larger G700 off-road SUV and F700 ute models, in contrast, are based on the same ladder-frame platform with cutting-edge plug-in hybrid technology and off-road potency in mind, and are reportedly expected in the second half of 2027.
Smaller G500 and G600 SUVs are reportedly on the cards, too.
“The F700 is almost ready in China, and it will be launched in Mexico first. We may deliver the vehicles there in the next two months, possibly even this month,” said Mr Ke.
The G700 uses a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine with electric motors front and rear, with the powertrain offering a massive 665kW/1135Nm combined output.
It can sprint from 0-100km/h in just 4.6 seconds, despite the almost-5.2-metre-long SUV weighing a minimum of 3070kg.
Jetour is reportedly working on a diesel plug-in hybrid powertrain for the F700, much like the upcoming ute from Chery codenamed KP31.
The G700 SUV has the choice of five or six seats, and offers a braked towing capacity of 2500kg, while the F700 ute reportedly offers 3500kg. Both are expected to offer three differential locks.
Mr Ke was eager to push the F700 as a ute that will offer something different to the current PHEV pickups on sale in the market right now, such as the GWM Cannon Alpha, Ford Ranger PHEV, and the BYD Shark 6.
“The F700 is a luxury pickup, so we are not directly competing with the Shark, because the Shark is much cheaper than us,” he said. “We know the Shark has strong sales, but we do not want to compete directly with any other brand or model. If you compete directly, the only route is price competition.
“We do not want a price war with Chinese brands or any other foreign brands. We want to create our own value.
“For the F700 compared with the Shark, we believe we have more technology and stronger performance. We will prove that value through test drives, promotions, challenges, and other activities. Our approach is not to compete on price, but to compete through value and technology,” he added.
Nor will we see Jetour playing the luxury game like fancied brands like BMW and Mercedes, according to Mr Ke.
“Actually, we are not trying to compete directly with BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or other established luxury brands, because the technology and driving experience are completely different,” he explained.
“[In China,] Chinese brands have grown rapidly because the new generation does not simply follow big names like Mercedes-Benz or BMW,” he said.
“Those brands are respected, but younger consumers want new technology, new design, and new energy vehicles. We believe similar opportunities exist in Australia, the Middle East, and Latin America, even though each market is different,” said Mr Ke.
As for preparation for a market launch, Mr Ke said that having the parent company Chery already present in the market meant some legwork is already done.
“At the moment, we are preparing for the Australian market. We already have a subsidiary company there, and we already have a local team,” he said. “We are also finalising our dealer network… We invited many potential dealers to China and Beijing, and we signed strategic agreements.
“We are now co-operating with many top-level dealer groups. They are very interested. Some partners who originally wanted to enter the Australian market separately have said they are willing to invest in Jetour showrooms immediately if we trust them.
“This means we do not have a partnership problem in Australia, which is very positive.”
You can expect a big marketing push from Jetour under “Travel+” branding, which Mr Ke says aligns closely with what Australian customers are perceived as being interested in.
“Brand image promotion and marketing will be very important,” he said. “People there can drive with recreational vehicles and enjoy an outdoor lifestyle.
“We are preparing now. Hopefully, by the end of this year, we will deliver cars from China. At the latest, we can launch in Australia next year,” he said.
Chery already offers its namesake brand here as well as Omoda Jaecoo, and will soon add Lepas, iCaur and Freelander.
There may be yet another brand joining the fray: Soueast. Acquired by Chery in 2024, it has been paired with Jetour, and it’s reportedly being considered for an Australian launch.
Stay tuned for more news and content on Jetour as it comes to hand.