Returning Chinese brand set to offer a second ute in Australia, and there's a Ford connection

Chinese auto brand JMC is set to bring another dual-cab ute to Australia, with a second model appearing in government certification filings.

The JMC Grand Avenue ute has now appeared in the approval database, following the Vigus Plus ute that appeared in November 2025.

The ute – based on the newer Dadao series of utes launched in China in 2023, which is based on a platform co-developed with Ford – is listed as having a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine with 150kW of power, mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission from ZF.

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18-inch wheels are standard, and braked towing capacity is listed as 3500kg, which has become essentially the standard in the ute segment. The listed gross vehicle mass and tare mass figures can be used to calculate a payload of 870kg.

Torque figures aren't listed in the Australian Government approval documents, but Dadao utes in China with this engine have a torque figure of 500Nm.

JMC Motor Australia has yet to announce when sales of its utes will begin.

“All will be revealed in good time! Currently dealers across the country have shown a lot of interest as JMC has such a solid reputation as a reliable workhorse,” JMC Motor Australia CEO Danny Lenartic told CarExpert.

“In terms of differentiating the brand, JMC is the second-best selling ute in China and if you have WeChat, a quick search will show that they are built to withstand daily abuse.

“We have total confidence that Aussie ute buyers who are looking for value will welcome what JMC brings to the table.”

Mr Lenartic became CEO of JMC Motor Australia earlier this year, following stints at MG and, more recently, serving as sales and distribution director for JAC Motors Australia.

According to the China Commercial Vehicle Network, GWM was the number-one Chinese brand for pickups in 2025 with 181,660 sales globally, followed by JAC, Changan and SAIC Maxus (aka LDV). JMC was fifth with 51,555 sales, though this data doesn't split out brands' sales by models or by market.

Chinese brands sold a total of 589,000 pickups last year, up 11.8 per cent, and exported around 300,000 of these. Around 60 per cent of these exports were of GWM vehicles.

In Australia, JMC is set to take on not only Mr Lenartic’s former employers JAC and MG, but also a raft of other challenger brands offering utes in Australia such as BYD, Foton, GWM and LDV.

The Vigus Plus that previously appeared in approval documents is listed as having a 118kW 2.5-litre turbo-diesel four. Like the Grand Avenue, it uses a ZF-sourced eight-speed auto and has an 870kg payload, though no towing capacity is listed.

This suggests JMC could pitch it as a more affordable budget model alongside the newer Grand Avenue, much as Great Wall did when it was launched here in 2009 with its SA220 and V240 utes.

The Grand Avenue's manufacturer, Jiangling Motors, filed to protect the Grand Avenue name with IP Australia in 2023 and the vehicle has been spied testing here in recent years. It's already sold in various Latin American and Middle Eastern markets.

Ford has a joint venture with Jiangling Motors in China, which produces a wide range of vehicles including the electric/extended-range electric Bronco New Energy that's expected to come Down Under.

JMC specialises in utes, and offers a wide range of Dadao models including both on- and off-road focused variants, as well as the simpler Vigus Plus ute and the older Yuhu 7 ute.

The Dadao family of utes is also available in China with a 190kW/450Nm 2.3-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine, as well as a 180kW/385Nm single-motor rear-wheel drive electric powertrain using an 88kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery offering 423km of NEDC range.

Unlike the Chinese-market Vigus Plus, the Grand Avenue is offered with a suite of active safety and driver-assist technology. Like the Vigus Plus, it features a 12.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, but can also be had with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.

JMC previously entered the Australian market in 2015 as other budget ute brands like Great Wall and ZX Auto faded.

It offered just one model, the Vigus (Yuhu) in China, with a choice of a Mitsubishi-sourced 100kW/201Nm naturally aspirated 2.4-litre petrol four and Ford-sourced 90kW/290Nm 2.4-litre turbo-diesel and 149kW/325Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol fours.

At least half a dozen dealerships signed on to sell JMC utes but the company withdrew from the Australian market in 2018 after slow sales due to poor name recognition and the lack of an automatic transmission. How many sales isn’t clear as the figures weren’t reported by VFACTS.

MORE: Chinese brand set to have another crack at Australian market with new ute