For the Jaecoo J7 PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid), Jaecoo Malaysia has started accepting registrations of interest following a quick preview at the 2024 Malaysia Autoshow. Although no specifics or pricing were revealed, we can guess at a price based on the vehicle that was previously displayed in Malaysia.
Interested motorists can sign up on the official Jaecoo Malaysia website by clicking this link.
The 1.5-litre TGDi petrol engine and a dedicated hybrid transmission features an electric motor inside. This setup is used in the PHEV version of the J7 instead of the 1.6-litre turbo inline-four engine. The front wheels receive all of the system’s 347 horsepower and 525 Nm of torque (compared to 197 hp and 290 Nm on the petrol-powered J7).
According to Chinese specs, the J7 PHEV’s big 18 kWh battery pack allows it to travel up to 88 km on pure electric power, according to Jaecoo. The Jaecoo J7 PHEV is rated for a fuel consumption of only 4.9 litres per 100 kilometres when driven in conventional hybrid configuration. This means that the 60-liter fuel tank can provide a range of more than 1,200 kilometres.
To differentiate the J7 PHEV from many other plug-in hybrids on the road, Jaecoo also decided to add DC fast charging support because of the battery’s size. Additionally supported is vehicle-to-load (V2L), which enables you to use the car to power external electrical equipment.
With the exception of a different wheel design and an extra flap on the other side of the fuel filler port to accommodate the CCS2 charging port, the J7 PHEV looks nearly identical to its petrol-powered sister.
A large 14.8-inch touchscreen infotainment panel on the dashboard is the only notable alteration to the interior. The PHEV does have a slightly different central console layout, though, with a row of buttons in place of the rotary driving mode selector and a stalk behind the steering wheel in place of the gear lever.
C ARLIST THOUGHTS
A local launch in Malaysia shouldn’t be too far off now that the Jaecoo J7 PHEV is available for registration of interest, with pricing being the only thing left to be decided. Given that the 2WD and 4WD versions of the petrol-powered J7 cost RM138,800 and RM148,800, respectively, we can expect that the PHEV model should arrive in showrooms with an extra 10-15% on top of the 4WD’s price.