Jaecoo J7 PHEV SUV To Hit Malaysian Market By Year's End
The J7's commanding presence makes it a head-turning vehicle on the road.
By Syazwan Bahri — 25 Oct 2024, 04:22 PM
Jaecoo Malaysia has given customers a sneak peek at the price tag for its eagerly anticipated Jaecoo J7 PHEV (plug-in hybrid EV), a plug-in hybrid variant of its popular J7 SUV. This electrified model is set to arrive in Malaysia by late 2024.
The Jaecoo J7 PHEV is expected to be priced at around RM170,000 for the two-wheel drive (2WD) version and RM180,000 for the all-wheel drive (AWD) model. These projected prices were revealed at a preview event for the J7 PHEV held in Sunway Pyramid, open to the public from 23 to 27 October.
While the official launch is still a couple of months away, eager customers can get a firsthand look at the J7 PHEV at this preview event. They can explore the vehicle's exterior and interior, besides experiencing an immersive video display on the car's interior wall. Deliveries of the J7 PHEV are scheduled to commence in February 2025.
Under the hood, the J7 PHEV packs a punch with a hybrid powertrain that significantly outperforms its petrol-powered counterpart
The Jaecoo J7 PHEV has a powerful hybrid engine that combines a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine derived from a Chery Omoda R5 with a strong electric motor. This gives it a lot of power — more than the regular J7 — and lets it go from 0 to 100km/h in just 8.5 seconds.
It also has a beefy battery sourced from prominent EV maker BYD that allows you to drive up to 88km on electricity alone. And when you combine that with the petrol engine, you can drive a total of 1,200km before needing to refuel or recharge. A recent test drive saw the car being driven from Guangzhou to Wuhu, covering over 1,300km on a single tank and battery charge.
This means you can use the J7 PHEV for daily commutes to work or to the grocery store without using any petrol, and then take it on longer trips without worrying about running out of power. It's a great option for people who want a powerful and efficient SUV.
The Jaecoo J7 PHEV has a few styling tweaks that set it apart from the standard J7
These include new 19-inch alloy wheels with an aerodynamic design, similar to those on the Omoda E5 but with different covers, more streamlined door mirrors, a checkered flag motif on the door trim strips, and the removal of the faux exhaust pipes found on the petrol version.
Inside, the PHEV gets a cleaner look with redesigned door cards that do away with the ornate grab handles. The centre console has also been revised, eliminating the bulky drive mode selector and gear lever. In their place, you'll find a sleek stalk on the steering column for gear selection and a row of physical buttons, including dedicated EV and HEV mode controls. The 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster also receives updated graphics.
While the final specifications for the Malaysian market have not been confirmed, the J7 PHEV is expected to come loaded with features
Some features are still pending confirmation for the Malaysian market, such as front and rear fog lights, a head-up display, an eight-speaker Sony sound system, Qi wireless charging, a built-in dashcam, blind spot monitoring, and eight airbags.
More details on these features will be revealed closer to the official launch in late 2024.
