Chery’s Jaecoo brand to launch premium RAV4 rival in Australia

Chery Australia has confirmed the Jaecoo brand will soon launch in our market, with the premium-spec 2024 Jaecoo J7 mid-size SUV to kick things off in the second half of the year.

Pitched as a “rugged urban SUV brand”, Jaecoo models are expected to be positioned upstream of their Chery stablemates, rivalling top-selling car-makers such as Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai, Kia and Volkswagen while Chery will battle challenger brands like GWM-Haval, MG and SsangYong.

Set to take on the leading Toyota RAV4 in Australia’s biggest-selling market segment, mid-size SUVs, the Jaecoo J7 is a premium-spec version of the Chery TJ-1 shown at the 2023 Shanghai motor show.

It features a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine driving either the front or all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The powertrain is similar to the one offered in the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro, but its output is elevated to 145kW/290Nm (up from 137kW/275Nm) to help manage the heavier kerb weight and deliver a more effortless drive experience.

An ‘All Road Drive Intelligent System’ will offer up to seven drive modes, depending on the drivetrain.

A 1.5-litre plug-in hybrid powertrain is also offered in China and could be made available here as a follow-up to the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro e+ and Tiggo 8 Pro e+ twins.

Local specification details are still to be released, but Chery Australia has confirmed the Jaecoo J7 will feature a vast 14.8-inch portrait infotainment screen.

Its premium positioning should also bring a high level of features across creature comforts, infotainment tech and safety.

“We are delighted to announce that the Jaecoo brand will be coming to Australia, and we look forward to introducing this exciting new brand to Australian consumers, which is setting new standards for luxury and versatility in sports utility vehicles,” said Chery Australia managing director Lucas Harris.

Jaecoo’s local introduction is just one aspect of a wider product onslaught planned by Chery, with the Chinese brand to launch its first EV – the Chery Omoda E5 – here mid-year.

The Omoda 5 range also recently expanded with 1.6-litre turbo-petrol GT models.

Not stopping there, Chery has promised an in-depth Australian chassis tuning program in a bid to make its vehicles more appealing as the company aims to become one of Australia’s top five brands by sales volume.

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