Jetour confirmed last month that its first-ever bakkie, the F700, will be sold in South Africa from 2027.

The Citizen Motoring got to see the F700 double cab in the flesh at the Beijing Auto Show last month, albeit only from the outside.

The Chery-owned Chinese carmaker is expected to release more details throughout the course of the year. We take a look at what we already know and expect from the first Jetour bakkie when it arrives in Mzansi.

Not a ‘swimming’ bakkie

Unlike its G700 SUV sibling, which it will share a platform in all likelihood, the F700 will not be amphibious. Based on a ladder-frame chassis, the G700 has a wading depth of 970mm and a six-axis gyroscope system that adjusts the body when going through water.

The G700 became the first vehicle to successfully cross the Yangtze River, covering a 1.4km stretch in 22 minutes.

Hybrid powertrain

Reported during the concept stage, the Jetour bakkie is likely to feature the G700’s plug-in hybrid powertrain without change. This was all but confirmed by the small CDM-0 badge on the tailgate of the model on show in Beijing.

The hybrid powertrain is combination of a 2.0 litre turbo petrol engine, 31.4kWh battery pack and two electric motors which produces a total of 1 172kW of power. This twist is sent to all four wheels via two-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission.

The Jetour G700 has a claimed all-electric range of 150km according to China’s CLTC cycle. The distance with the combustion engine included goes up to 1 400km.

F700 styling

The Jetour F700 bakkie incorporates the same frontal design as the G700, but with the same overall design as the LDV Terron 9 when viewed from the side. At a length of 5 500mm, the Terron 9 is the biggest bakkie on sale in South Africa.

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