JAC T9 PHEV ute makes world debut in Oz

JAC has slipped the covers off its petrol-electric 2026 JAC Hunter PHEV at the Melbourne Motor Show, revealing its first crack at a global-market hybridised utility or pick-up truck.

The beefy new ute pumps out a whopping 385kW and 1000Nm and will enter an increasingly busy PHEV pick-up truck space when it lands in the Australian market in early 2026 as a plug-in hybrid sibling to the diesel-powered JAC T9.

And while it’ll be a relative latecomer to the PHEV ute party, arriving after the debuts of the BYD Shark 6, GWM Cannon Alpha, and Ford Ranger PHEV, the JAC Hunter PHEV will easily outgun them all when it comes to power and torque.

With a turbocharged 2.0L inline four acting as an onboard generator and feeding a lithium-ion phosphate battery, the Hunter PHEV’s dual-motor powertrain will produce a stump-pulling combined output of 385kW and 1000Nm.

That’s a full 64kW more than the current most-powerful PHEV ute, the BYD Shark 6, and a whopping 250Nm more torque than the GWM Cannon Alpha - not to mention 118Nm more twist than the supercharged 6.2-litre V8 of the thoroughly bonkers RAM 1500 TRX.

JAC is also priming a fully-electric ute, the JAC T9 EV. However, it's 210kW/516Nm output and cruising range of 330km pale in comparison to the brawny JAC Hunter PHEV's capabilities.

But while JAC’s plug-in hybrid ute looks set to slay drag strips, it’ll still be a treehugger.

Owners can charge the ute from a wall outlet and JAC is targeting a battery-only range of 100km for the Hunter PHEV before its 31.2kWh battery pack runs dry, though a combined-cycle fuel efficiency figure has yet to be confirmed.

Payload and towing capacity are also yet to be confirmed, though its understood that JAC is targeting a circa one-tonne payload and 3500kg braking tow rating.

The Chinese automaker did confirm the JAC Hunter PHEV will provide a vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability, giving it the capacity to offload some of its stored electrical energy to charge things like power tools, camping equipment and run appliances during blackouts.

Despite its significant boost in performance and efficiency over the T9 ute that it’s based upon, the Hunter PHEV looks, externally at least, almost indistinguishable from the regular T9.

Bodywork, bumpers and lights are identical, with the only tell-tale differences being a unique sail panel with integrated aluminium tie-down rails along the top of the tub, a unique design for its alloy wheels and red-painted brake calipers.

Inside, the cabin furniture is largely familiar T9 gear, with the same 10.4-inch infotainment touchscreen as its centrepiece. The only standout differences are a rotary drive selector on the centre console and a 10.25-inch instrument panel display instead of the T9’s smaller 7.0-inch unit.

Like the T9, the Hunter PHEV will include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and a 360-degree parking camera.

The JAC Hunter PHEV is slated to enter production towards the end of 2025 and will enter Australian showrooms in the first quarter of 2026. Full specifications and pricing will be announced closer to launch.