The first batch of these PHEV Jaecoo J7s have already rolled out of Shah Alam before its imminent local launch.
While slightly delayed from its previously touted local launch of last year, Jaecoo has nevertheless since announced that its J7 PHEV will be set to make its Malaysian debut by the end of this month (28th February). And perhaps to make up for lost time, the Chinese marque has since also recently made public that the first batch of these plug-in hybrid SUVs have in fact begun to roll of the local assembly line at its Shah Alam facility.
“We believe the Jaecoo J7 PHEV fits in perfectly with the market’s appetite for an alternative between the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and Electric Vehicle (EV) segments providing the best of both worlds with its superior Super Hybrid System fondly known as SHS. As Malaysia’s EV ecosystem continues to develop, Jaecoo is happy to offer greater peace of mind to consumers considering the transition to hybrid energy mobility. Beyond delivering a great premium SUV, our Jaecoo network is also equipped and ready to care for our PHEV customers which is key to the longevity of their ownership journey with Jaecoo,” said Jaecoo Malaysia Vice President, Emily Lek.
Confirmed to arrive locally in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive configurations, the plug-in hybrid powertrain of this upcoming Jaecoo J7 pairs a 1.5 turbocharged petrol four pot to an electric drive motor on its front axle. This electrified setup is quoted in its home market to output a combined 347 PS and 525 Nm of torque, which is to be a fair bit more than the already more-than-reasonable 197 PS and 290 Nm figure currently output by its current purely petrol-powered counterpart.
Though for those who think that horsepower and torque figure is impressive, they really ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Such is as with a massive 18.3 kWh battery pack, Jaecoo is currently quoting that this J7 PHEV can travel up to 106 km (NEDC) on a full charge of its BYD-sourced 18.3 kWh battery pack.
What more too is that even if the battery is completely drained, its PHEV system can still somehow see for its petrol-powered component eke out the lowest fuel consumption in its class, at 5.99 litres per 100 km. And perhaps most impressively of all is that with a 60-litre fuel tank on board, Jaecoo is currently touting that this plug-in hybrid J7 can travel over 1,200 km when both its battery and fuel tank are topped up to the brim.
Now this much was proven recently when a multinational contingent of J7 PHEVs — comprising of media members from Italy, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Malaysia (basically the countries that will be getting this electrified Jaecoo first) — travelled over 1,300 km on a single tank of fuel and a full battery without stopping to recharge. More locally too, a contingent of J7 PHEVs were driven from Singapore to Hatyai, and clocked over 1,200 km on a full tank and charge.
Jaecoo has previously teased for the price of this PHEV J7 to start from about RM 170,000 in its front-wheel drive configuration, which is to be about a RM 30,000 premium from its non-electrified counterpart. That said, the Chinese automaker does have a habit of hinting at a higher price than what it actually announces, so the delta might not be all that high when all is revealed in a couple of weeks time.
It is perhaps worth highlighting too that this J7 PHEV isn’t to be the only electrified Jaecoo to launch locally this year, with the automaker previously confirming the imminent debut of its fully-electric J6 mini-Defender SUV over here too. The three-row J8 large SUV has also been teased for a Malaysian arrival, with it to sit at the top of the company’s local lineup above the recently-launched Omoda C9.
