Yet another Chinese car brand confirmed for Australia

The Chery-owned Jetour brand will be launched in Australia soon, with its official debut set for Sydney in late May following recruitment across its sales and marketing operations.

In an email, Jetour invited guests to the launch of its “intelligent SUVs in Australia” at the Sydney Opera House in “late May”, with a corresponding event to be held in Melbourne shortly afterwards.

The Jetour name was trademarked in Australia in late 2024, before a recruitment drive for sales, marketing and back-office roles commenced earlier this year, and the Chinese automaker has invited Australian journalists to the Beijing motor show in April.

There is no confirmation of which Jetour SUVs will be launched locally, meaning pricing and sales expectations remain unannounced ahead of the brand’s official launch within two months.

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A spokesperson for Chery Australia confirmed to CarExpert it will not be involved in importing Jetour vehicles, a move that mirrors the brand’s structure in other markets including South Africa and Malaysia.

Operating independently of Chery and Omoda Jaecoo also means Jetour will not utilise the existing Chery dealer network, which currently spans around 80 locations and is expected to grow to 100 by the end of this year.

Jetour operates in more than 100 countries and delivered 622,590 vehicles globally in 2025, accounting for just over 22 per cent of the Chery Auto Group’s 2,806,393 total sales.

Globally, the brand offers eight SUVs – four passenger-focused models and four more ruggedly styled models aimed at off-road and adventure buyers.

Right-hand drive production commenced in 2024 for several key models, with the Dashing compact SUV, the T-Series (T1 and T2) mid-size SUV, and the seven-seat X70 Plus now on sale in South Africa.

Australia is expected to receive similar models from the right-hand drive production pool.

The T2 is the most popular of these in South Africa. It’s a five-door off-road SUV positioned as a rival to the GWM Tank 300, featuring a boxy design, 2800mm wheelbase, 4785mm overall length (including the spare wheel cover), and 220mm of ground clearance.

South African-market versions are offered in three grades – Aspire, Xplora and Odyssey – with entry-level variants powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine producing 125kW of power and 270Nm of torque, paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and two-wheel drive.

Mid- and top-spec variants use a more powerful 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine producing 180kW and 375Nm, matched with all-wheel drive and a braked towing capacity of 1600kg.

A plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain is offered in China, pairing a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine (115kW/220Nm) with two electric motors for combined outputs of 447kW/910Nm, along with all-wheel drive.

South African models include synthetic leather seat trim, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 15.6-inch central infotainment touchscreen, along with 50W wireless phone charging and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Other features include a glass sunroof, dual-zone climate control and a power tailgate, though autonomous emergency braking (AEB), which is mandatory for all new vehicles sold in Australia, is only standard in higher grades.

The T1 shares its underpinnings and powertrains with the T2, but is positioned at a lower price point, while the sharply styled Dashing is the most affordable model in the current Jetour lineup.

While Jetour has a stated goal of becoming “the world’s leading off-road brand”, reports from CarNewsChina suggest it is also developing a plug-in hybrid ute as a potential rival to the GWM Cannon already offered here.

Chery Australia is also preparing to introduce a diesel plug-in hybrid ute, currently codenamed ‘KP31’, which is expected to arrive with a more consumer-friendly badge when it goes on sale late this year after the company recently launched a campaign inviting the public to christen it. MORE: Explore the Chery showroom