JAC Hunter launches with full Australian chassis tune

JAC Motors Australia has confirmed every production example of its new Hunter plug-in hybrid ute will leave the factory with the complete vehicle dynamics tune developed locally by Australian engineer Michael Barber, with the same set-up now heading to New Zealand and other Asia-Pacific markets.

Barber's work began with evaluation and testing of the Hunter on Australian roads before he travelled to JAC's facilities in China to work alongside the brand's engineering team on implementing the changes in the production car.

Rather than cherry-picking individual items or holding improvements back for a mid-life update – a common enough approach among newer entrants – JAC said the full tune was signed off before the first Hunter reached an Australian customer.

"JAC's multi-million dollar engineering and development investment in the Hunter goes well beyond what would ordinarily be expected for a new-market vehicle launch," said JAC Motors Australia managing director Ahmed Mahmoud.

"We asked Michael to tell us exactly what the Hunter needed to perform at its best on Australian roads. JAC listened, acted and implemented every one of his recommendations. Nothing was selectively adopted or deferred to a future update. There were no shortcuts."

JAC has not detailed the specific hardware changes, but says the work targeted steering precision, high-speed stability, body control over uneven surfaces, ride composure and the balance between everyday comfort and load-carrying. The brand has previously said more than 50 damper calibrations were tested across a program covering more than 100,000km of local running.

The Hunter is based on the T9 dual-cab and swaps that ute's turbo-diesel for a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine paired with an electric motor on each axle, for claimed combined outputs of 360kW and 1010Nm. JAC quotes up to 100km of EV-only range from its 31.2kWh battery and 3500kg braked towing capacity.

New Zealand has been confirmed as the first export market to receive the Barber tune, with JAC saying it is on the product roadmap for "multiple international markets" – a rare instance of Australian chassis work flowing back into a Chinese brand's global program.

"Our ambition is for every future JAC vehicle launch to demonstrate this same level of Australian testing, engineering rigour and responsiveness," Mahmoud said.

Whether the tune delivers is now a question for buyers and reviewers rather than press releases, with the Hunter squaring up against the BYD Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV – both of which arrived with local tuning claims of their own.

How much does the 2026 JAC Hunter cost?

Hunter Pro 4x4 – $49,988
Hunter X 4x4 – $54,844

* Prices exclude on-road costs