South Africa will be the first right-hand drive market to receive the T1 and T2.
Amidst much speculation about their introduction after being confirmed last year, Jetour South Africa has officially confirmed that both the T1 and T2 will be debuting on local soil next month.
Line-up of four
The first models of the Chery-owned brand’s T-Series of SUVs, both will be offered with two-wheel drive or XWD all-wheel drive, and make their global right-hand drive debut in South Africa before being exported to other key right hooking nations.
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Shown to the global media at Jetour’s maiden Travel Worldwide Global Conference in Fuzhou last year, the T1 and T2 are expected to be positioned above the Dashing and X70 Plus models, though for the moment, this is purely speculative and could well be proven otherwise.
T1
Fundamentals
On-sale in China since the end of last year, the T1 rides on a Chery devised unibody platform measuring 4 705 mm long, 1 967 mm wide and 1 843 mm tall with a 2 810 mm long wheelbase.
Reportedly with 200 mm of ground clearance, and with an approach angle of 27° plus a departure angle of 25°, the T1 has a claimed tow rating of 1 600 kg and alloy wheel sizes from 18 to 19-inches.
Petrol yes, hybrid?
Up front, and as indicated at the conference, the South African-market T1 will be powered by the same engine options as in China.
These consist of the Chery Group’s familiar 1.5 T-GDI and 2.0 T-GDI engines, the former sending 125kW/270Nm to the front axle via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and the latter 180kW/375Nm to the front or four wheels through an eight-speed torque converter automatic.
Anticipated to arrive in 2026, the plug-in hybrid, known as the Shanhai T1 in China, combines a detuned 115kW/230Nm version of the 1.5 T-GDI with a 26.7-kWh battery powering a single 150kW/310Nm electric motor.
The result is a combined output of 280kW/610Nm, an electric only range of 150 km based on China’s CLTC measurements and a combined distance of 1 300 km with the petrol engine included.
Unlike the 2.0 T-GDI, drive in the plug-in hybrid is routed to the front wheels only through a single-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT).
Likely spec
In its home market, the T1’s list of features include a 12.8 or 14.6-inch infotainment system, an eight-speaker Sony sound system, heated and ventilated electric front seats, ambient lighting, a panoramic sunroof, wireless smartphone charger, hands-free electric tailgate, rain sense wipers and even a heated front armrest.
Notable safety and driver assistance systems include a 540-degree camera system, front and rear parking sensors, Adaptive Cruise Control, Traffic Jam Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Driver Attention Alert, Lane Keep Assist, Automatic Emergency Braking and Forward Collision Warning.
In China, pricing starts at 124 900 yuan (R302 845) for the entry-level 1.5 T-GDI Explore and ends at 154 900 yuan (R375 586) for the flagship all-wheel drive Conqueror.
Stickers for the Shanhai meanwhile range from 154 800 (R375 344) to 174 800 yuan (R423 838).
T2
What is it?
Leveraging off of Chery’s partnership with JLR, the Defender 110-inspired T2, known as the Traveller in its home market, also uses a unibody platform and measures 4 785 mm long, 2 006 mm wide and 1 880 mm tall while riding on a 2 800 mm long wheelbase.
Sporting a ground clearance of 220 mm, approach angle of 28°, breakover of 18°and departure of 30°, the T2 will also have the option of two-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, but with the inclusion of front and rear locking differentials, and torque vectoring on the latter. Omitted though is a low range transfer case.
Up front
In terms of power, the T2 utilises the same engines as the T1, but in different states of tune.
For the 1.5 T-GDI, this means 135kW/290Nm and the same 187kW/390Nm for the 2.0 T-GDI as in the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max.
Transmissions are, however identical with the former sporting a seven-speed dual-clutch and the latter an eight-speed torque converter automatic.
As with the T1, the plug-in hybrid Shanhai range combines the detuned 1.5 T-GDI with two electric motors in the case of the two-wheel drive and three on all-wheel-drive variants.
Combined with a 26.7-kWh battery, the dual-motor outputs a combined 280kW/610Nm, which results in an EV-only range of 129 km.
Working in tandem with a bigger 43.2-kWh battery plus the third electric motor, the all-paw gripping T2 delivers 455kW/920Nm, which translates to an electric-only range of 208 km.
Regardless of the drive wheels, all Shanhai T2s utilise a three-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT).
Spec sheet
In terms of specification, the T2 comes equipped with a 15.6-inch infotainment system, an eight or 12-speaker Sony sound system, heated, ventilated and electric front seats, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless smartphone charger, heated steering wheel and a massaging function for the front seats.
Taking care of safety is a 540-degree camera system, a transparent bonnet view display, Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Spot Monitoring, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Keep Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Rollover Mitigation, Driver Attention Alert, Lane Departure Warning and Traffic Jam Assist.
As standard, all variant feature a drive mode selector with three settings; Eco, Normal and Sport, and four additional settings on all-wheel drive variants; Snow, Sand, Mud and Rock.
Priced from 139 900 yuan (R339 274) for the entry-level 1.5 Explore to 184 900 yuan (R448 404) for the range-topping Conqueror+ XWD, stickers for the Shanhai start at 179 900 yuan (R436 279) for the dual-motor Wilderness and ends at 234 900 yuan (R569 660) for the tri-motor Wilderness.
Almost time
For the moment, no details about either T1 or T2 for South Africa are unknown price and spec-wise, though an announcement could well be made before the official launch happens next month.
Additional information from Jetour China and carnewschina.com.
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