Upgraded T1 is still to be confirmed for South Africa and will most likely only arrive either by year-end or in 2027 if granted approval.
Facelift T1 was a surprise showing at the Beijing Motor Show in April. Picture: Charl Bosch
A surprise showing at the Beijing Motor Show in April, Jetour has reportedly confirmed the official launch date for the facelift T1 in China.
Two variants, two different revisions
Only revealed two years ago, the smallest in the Chery-owned brand’s T-Series SUV line-up debuted a new Jeep-inspired look at the Beijing showpiece, as part of an equally new sub-moniker, Freedom 7 Plus.
What this means is that the revised facia will only be applicable to the combustion powered T1 and not the plug-in hybrid known as the T1 Shanhai in the People’s Republic.
According to China’s autohome.cn, the T1 Shanhai receives model specific revisions in the form of a new bumper, side sills and alloy wheels.
Compared to the T1/Freedom 7 Plus, the plug-in hybrid/T1 Shanhai continues with the current style grille instead of the slotted Jeep-inspired piece.
Updated inside
In newly obtained pictures, the publication also reveals that faux spare wheel carrier had been fitted to the tailgate, something the model displayed in Beijing didn’t feature.
Reportedly, this will be applicable to both combustion and plug-in hybrid variants.
Inside, the reported changes include a revised centre console with less physical buttons, a new steering wheel and an upgraded infotainment display with physical switches below it.
Nothing new power-wise
Up front, the Freedom 7 Plus/T1 will retain the 1.5 T-GDI and 2.0 T-GDI engines without any alternations. The same applies to the T1 Shanhai, which combines the former with a 26.7-kWh or 27.2-kWh battery pack.
The latter will once again have front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive configurations, depending on the size of battery and electric motor count.
Locally, the T1 i-DM uses a smaller 18.4-kWh battery in conjunction with a single electric motor for a total output of 250kW/530Nm.
South Africa’s gain?
Debuting on 26 June in China, the significance of the facelift T1 is that it could well be produced in South Africa.
This, after Jetour’s confirmation in April that would assemble the T1 and T2 alongside Chery’s upcoming KP31 bakkie at the now former Nissan plant in Rosslyn outside Pretoria from next year.
Initially, sourcing will continue to come from the main plant in Fuzhou while refurbishments to Rosslyn are made.
As it stands, an official date of reveal of the facelift T1 has not been set, most likely as sales only started in October last year.
In this regard, chance are that it will most likely only go on-sale either by year-end or in 2027.
