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    PHEV – AutoTrader: T9 PHEV First Drive – refining the workhorse

    2026 JAC T9 PHEV First Drive: refining the workhorse

    Having already made headway in the NZ ute market with the T9, JAC Motors is upping the ante by adding a PHEV powertrain to their range. And to prove this isn’t just greenwashing, they invited us to some challenging off-road terrain in Chengdu, China, to see if it was up to the brief of combining practicality with modern electric innovation.

    When it comes to looks, the T9 PHEV maintains the broad-shouldered, chunky aesthetic that has made the conventional T9 easily recognisable on New Zealand roads. JAC has kept the proportions that show off the ute’s genuine work-focused heritage, and rejected the temptation to make it look like something designed merely to visually impress.

    By |2026-08-26T04:46:08+00:00August 26, 2026|Reviews, Ute|0 Comments
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    PHEV – Tarmac Life: First Off-Road Drive In China

    JAC T9 PHEV First Off-Road Drive – In China

    The T9 Goes Electric, and Gets Seriously Dirty

    There are plenty of places to test a new ute. A smooth tarmac road, a motorway, or even a gravel track (if the manufacturer is feeling adventurous). But when JAC decided to let us loose in its new T9 PHEV, it chose something rather more entertaining, the forests around Chengdu, on a custom off-road course covered in wet, slippery red clay.

    By |2026-08-27T03:35:33+00:00August 26, 2026|Reviews, Ute|0 Comments
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    PHEV – Car Expert NZ: Hybrid ute makes NZ debut with segment-leading power claim

    JAC T9 PHEV priced: hybrid ute makes NZ debut with segment-leading power claim

    JAC have launched their new plug-in hybrid ute, now the most powerful dual-cab ute on sale in New Zealand.

    The JAC T9 PHEV has officially made its New Zealand debut at Fieldays, with the Chinese brand revealing full specifications and pricing for its electrified dual-cab ute.

    Priced from $59,990 plus on-road costs as part of a limited-time launch offer, the T9 PHEV enters the market as the cheapest plug-in hybrid ute currently on sale in New Zealand, undercutting rivals such as the BYD Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV.

    The standard T9 diesel ute, which shares the same platform as the PHEV, is priced from $49,990.

    JAC says the new model is not only the most affordable PHEV ute available locally, but also New Zealand’s most powerful hybrid ute, producing a combined 360kW of power and 674Nm of torque from a turbocharged petrol engine and dual electric motors.

    Those figures slightly edge the 350kW of power produced by the Shark 6 Performance, but the JAC PHEV falls short of the BYD ute’s 700Nm torque figure. Meanwhile the Cannon Alpha PHEV produces a claimed combined output of 350kW and 700Nm.

    By |2026-08-17T01:48:12+00:00August 17, 2026|Reviews, Ute|0 Comments
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    PHEV – First Look with Jerry Pan

    First Look & Impressions – NZ’s Most Affordable PHEV Ute

    The 2026 JAC T9 PHEV has arrived in New Zealand, bringing plug-in hybrid power to the ute segment at an impressive price point. In this first look and impression video, I take you through the exterior, interior, key features, practicality, and my initial thoughts on how this new PHEV ute could shake up the NZ market.

    Check out Jerry’s first impressions video:

     

    By |2026-07-01T03:39:13+00:00June 21, 2026|Reviews, Ute|0 Comments
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    PHEV – NZ Farming: PHEV Fieldays Launch

    Well worth the early start before gates opened for day one of  Fieldays to get to see and be the first to drive the JAC PHEV, it is the new benchmark for performance and value in the ute segment as it’s the most powerful, well appointed features and at a price point that shows JAC aren’t here to F spiders.

    Will have one arriving at the NZ Farming test lab soon where we’ll put it to work and find out more about how well it performs 👍
    Check out the full post from NZ Farming below:
    By |2026-06-17T21:48:43+00:00June 17, 2026|Reviews, Ute|0 Comments
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    PHEV – DRIVEN: NZ’s ‘cheapest, safest, most powerful PHEV AWD ute’

    Jac T9 PHEV first drive: NZ’s ‘cheapest, safest, most powerful PHEV AWD ute’

    What’s this new ute all about then?

    Jac New Zealand launched the T9 ute in diesel form back in January 2025. It’s now been joined by the T9 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). The electrified model was previewed as a prototype at Fieldays last year, and the final production version was launched at the same event this month, on June 10-13.

    The orange prototype is also back on show as it happens, although the body has parted company with the chassis to show the complicated inner workings of the electric drive. “It’s had a little facelift,” says Jac NZ general manager Andrew Craw.

    Speaking of the complicated bits: the T9 PHEV matches a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine with two electric motors, driving through a dedicated hybrid transmsision (DHT) – which makes it more of a “super hybrid” type of powertrain than a conventional PHEV.

    Read the full write up here:

    By |2026-06-16T00:06:27+00:00June 16, 2026|Uncategorized|0 Comments
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    PHEV – Tarmac Life: Amazing Value and Still Has That Pie Warmer

    The JAC T9 PHEV Ute Has Arrived – Amazing Value and Still Has That Pie Warmer

    When JAC rolled into Fieldays last year with a bold orange prototype, they weren’t just showing off. They were listening. And after twelve months of “Tested By Kiwis, For Kiwis” development, the wraps are finally off the T9 PHEV Ute, and it’s a machine that’s managed to tick pretty much every box Kiwi tradies have been demanding.

    The specs? Seriously impressive

    We’re talking 360kW of power, up to 1,005km of combined hybrid range, 100km of pure EV range, and the ability to tow 3,500kg of braked load. For context, that’s the kind of performance envelope that makes this New Zealand’s most powerful hybrid ute. Oh, and it scored five stars with ANCAP, making it our safest hybrid ute too. Not bad for a vehicle that still comes with a built-in pie warmer. Yes, that’s still a thing, and honestly, we’re here for it.

    See the full write up using the button here:

    By |2026-07-01T03:38:15+00:00June 11, 2026|Reviews, Ute|0 Comments
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    PHEV – MotoringNZ: JAC hybrid ute a ‘right time’ power play

    Electric-assisted edition low balls on price for market distributor says is ready for change.

    SUSPENSION fine tuning is being undertaken for a JAC that now sets price-leadership among plug-in hybrid utes – and more accurate efficiency figures are also promised.

    Those factors aren’t expected to inhibit Kiwi interest in a model the Chinese commercial vehicle specialist today launched, six weeks ahead of planned start to sale.

    The battery-enabled version of the T9 ute that debuted at New Zealand’s largest agricultural show, Fieldays, today is expected to be a star performer as fossil fuel price fluctuations cause ute faithful to think again about continued dedication to diesel.

    The model’s $59,990 price is the lowest yet being asked for this technology in New Zealand in this format.

    Check out the full write up below:

    By |2026-06-16T00:06:50+00:00June 10, 2026|Uncategorized|0 Comments
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    PHEV – DRIVEN: JAC NZ reveals numbers for its T9 PHEV ute

    360kW and 3.5 tonnes of towing: JAC NZ reveals numbers for its T9 PHEV ute

    • JAC New Zealand has revealed a few numbers for its T9 PHEV ute before its local debut.
    • The plug-in hybrid ute will pack 360kW of power and pull a full 3500kg on a braked trailer.
    • The T9 also features a 915kg payload and orders will open at next week’s National Fieldays.

    JAC New Zealand has firmed up some of the specifications we can expect to see from its upcoming T9 PHEV ute ahead of its official debut at the National Fieldays at Mystery Creek, Hamilton, this month.

    Where previous numbers around the T9 PHEV have been largely speculative, JAC NZ says that the plug-in hybrid ute has undergone local testing across various New Zealand terrains, including tarmac and back roads, while performing towing and hauling tasks, which the company says is to “ensure the model is calibrated for local conditions.”

    Read the full article via the link below

    By |2026-08-26T04:48:07+00:00June 10, 2026|Reviews, Ute|0 Comments
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    From South Africa: JAC T9 smashes 24-hour endurance record

    A braai, a bet, and a beast of a bakkie: JAC T9 smashes 24-hour endurance record – 4,084km at full throttle

    The JAC (“Jack”) T9’s position as a reliable workhorse for Kiwi tradies has been further reinforced by the remarkable achievement of its South African stablemate, which recently shattered the country’s 24-hour Endurance Record for commercial vehicles.

    What began as a casual braai-side (aka a BBQ) challenge between a few mates filming content for South Africa’s motoring channel, turned into a serious headline-grabber for JAC. The brand’s flagship ute (or in South Africa a ‘bakkie’), the JAC T9, officially broke the South African 24-hour Endurance Record for commercial vehicles – clocking up an impressive 4,084 kilometres at an average speed of 170.1 km/h at the Gerotek Testing Facility just outside Pretoria.

    Four seasoned racing drivers took shifts behind the wheel, completing more than 1,350 laps of the Gerotek track with a clear mission: to surpass the existing record set by Isuzu in 2010, which itself had bettered the Toyota Hilux benchmark from 2003.

    The JAC team did more than just beat the record – they shattered it. Finishing over 20km ahead of Isuzu’s record, the T9 ran for 24 hours straight with an average fuel use of just 16.5L/100km.

     

    Note: The South African JAC T9 2.0L CTi has some differences, but is very similar to the NZ JAC T9 top-of-the-like 4WD Auto ute.

    By |2026-04-29T06:49:21+00:00January 13, 2026|News, Ute|0 Comments
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