Jaecoo has officially confirmed that the new J6 crossover is coming to South Africa in 2025.
The Chinese model is scheduled to make its first public appearance at the Festival of Motoring at Kyalami, Gauteng this coming weekend.
Jaecoo’s first electric car
Jaecoo is a new player in the local auto scene, as it only launched in April this year with a single vehicle, the J7 SUV.
It represents one-half of the “O&J” stable alongside Omoda, both of which are sub-brands under the Chery banner in South Africa.
The first thing to know about the J6 is that it is not a Jaecoo original, as it is actually a rebadged model taken from Chery’s iCar division in China.
Chery confirmed to TopAuto earlier this year that it will be bringing more cars from its various brands to South Africa, but that many of these will be rebadged and sold under one of its three existing nameplates – Chery, Omoda, or Jaecoo.
iCar is Chery’s all-electric division, and the upcoming Jaecoo J6 is a renamed iCar 03, a compact battery-electric SUV.
The Jaecoo J6 is likely to be O&J’s second electric vehicle (EV) in South Africa after the Omoda E5, as the latter is expected to arrive before the end of the year while the former is only coming in 2025.
The automaker has not yet disclosed any technical aspects of its new SUV, though this should soon change with the J6’s public appearance at the Festival of Motoring.
In the meantime, we can check out the iCar 03’s specifications overseas to get a preview of what the electric crossover has in store for us.
In Asia, the compact SUV is sold in both two-wheel (2WD) and four-wheel-drive (4WD) guises, which determines whether you’ll have one or two electric motors.
The 2WD units have a single e-motor at the rear with 135kW and 220Nm, while the 4WD option boasts a power unit on each axle producing a combined 205kW and 385Nm.
In terms of range, the base units come with a 50.63kWh battery that’s good for 400km, while the mid-range options have a larger 66kWh cell with 472km on tap.
The top-end iCar, meanwhile, brings a 70kWh pack that lets it travel a generous 500km between recharges.
Speaking of, the SUV can be topped up from 30% to 80% in as little as 30 minutes depending on the battery size and outlet used.
It will be interesting to see where the J6 is ultimately placed in Jaecoo’s local roster, as its name suggests it will be placed below the J7 and upcoming J8, but this convention is likely only in reference to the vehicle’s size rather than its price tag.
EVs are still very expensive in South Africa, and while this has slowly started to change with the release of new models from various carmakers, the battery-powered J6 is likely to cost significantly more than the petrol J7, which starts at R549,900.
More information about the new Jaecoo J6 is bound to be revealed at the Festival of Motoring this weekend.
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