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Jaecoo and parent company Chery's first plug-in hybrid to debut in South Africa, the J7 SHS has an EV-only range of 90 km and a combined system output of 255kW/525Nm.
Chery-owned Jaecoo’s first plug-in hybrid will debut locally in June. Image: Omoda & Jaecoo
Initially planned for local market release at the end of May, Omoda & Jaecoo South Africa has confirmed that its first-ever hybrid, the J7 SHS, will officially launch in early June.
Hybrid shock
Its abbreviation denoting Super Hybrid System, which parent company Chery debuted at the Shanghai Auto Show two months ago, the setup consists of the smaller 1.5 T-GDI engine rather than the normal 1.6 T-GDI being combined with a single electric motor driven by an 18.3-kWh lithium phosphate battery pack.
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Paired to a new three-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT), the J7 SHS develops a combined 255kW/525Nm and, as a result of being a plug-in hybrid, will travel 90 km on the electric systems alone.
Supporting DC charging up top 40 kW, the SHS will require a waiting time of 20 minutes from 30-80%. According to O&J, the combined combustion and electric range is 1 200 km.
Expect it to fit in here…
While no pricing has yet been made, Jaecoo has hinted at the SHS possibly being modelled on the mid-range Glacier trim grade rather than the flagship Inferno, whose only differences include a heated steering wheel and all-wheel-drive.
This stems from not disclosing the latter features on the preliminary specification list, which so far names 19-inch alloy wheels, the eight-speaker sound system, Rear Cross Traffic Alert with Reserve Automatic Braking, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Warning and Adaptive Cruise Control as some of the standard items.
At present, the three-model J7 range starts off at R549 900 for the entry-level Vortex, before increasing to R599 900 for the Glacier. The all-paw gripping Inferno completes the trio at R679 900.
As such, the SHS could be positioned above the Inferno on the price, but with identical levels of spec to the Glacier as a means of keeping pricing competitive.
More soon
For the moment, though, this is purely speculative and will only be confirmed or disproved when the official unveiling happens next month.
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