JAC trucks coming to NZ – could its cars too?

Chinese carmaker JAC Motors has announced that it will launch in New Zealand next year with two new commercial vehicles, a fully electric and Cummins diesel-powered truck.

We hazard a guess that you probably haven’t heard of the brand before, but it’s important to note that JAC has been making trucks since 1964 before branching out into vans and SUVs in the 2000s.

The brand is now about to become a whole lot more familiar to Kiwis in the commercial sector, but its recent announcement got us thinking; could it pave the way for passenger vehicles like the T9 ute?

Funnily enough, it was around this time last year when several reports said the aforementioned model would arrive on our shores by June. However, that plan never came to fruition.

Nevertheless, the arrival of its trucks inspires a bit more confidence, especially when you consider a handful of them have been undergoing testing on our roads recently.

“We know the ranges completed through testing don’t always stack up in the real world, especially when it comes to trucks with so many variables like a box body and carrying heavy loads,” said JAC New Zealand General Manager Andrew Craw, via New Zealand Trucking.

“Our team has been driving the trucks around the city fully loaded and we still haven’t managed to drain the battery in one day yet.”

Nothing has been said about its cars, but if all goes well with the trucks, New Zealanders could see the arrival of another new brand.