It seems like there are new car brands every month coming and in fact over the last three years there have been almost 20 new brands arriving here.

These are.

• Ineos
• Zeekr
• Leapmotor
• Deepal
• Geely
• Xpeng
• Cadillac
• GMC
• GAC,
• Jac
• Jaecoo,
• Lepas
• Omoda,
• Farizon
• Foton,
• Forthing
• Denza and
• IM Motors

And im sure I’ve missed a few.

What does this do to the market here. Well, many of these brands are Chinese. They are supported by head office with subsidies for competitive pricing. We have a fairly consistent market size here. It is growing ever so slightly year by year, but demand is consistent.

However, Economics 101 says that with increased supply and consistent demand there will be casualties. Pricing will start to be affected, this flows to profits. Businesses need profits to survive. There are issues with finding suitable distribution outlets with dealer facing increased pressure and squeezing margins.

They will look to replace some of the poorer legacy brands for the new shiny ones. But that may not end well. Some brands will do almost anything to get themselves in the top ten list. Like bringing in lots of vehicles, registering them and then looking to shift older models as new vehicles.

Its interesting times indeed.

This is a Motoring Minute

Im Rob Fraser

TO LISTEN TO THE New Car Brand   – RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

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The latest to arrive is the JAC Hunter PHEV.

Priced from below $50,000 plus the usual costs, the Hunter plug-in hybrid dual-cab Ute provides a healthy 360kW of power and a claimed 1,000Nm of torque. Those are stunning figures. Towing is rated at 3500 kg as well.

JAC also claim that the Hunter will have an EV only range of up to 100km and a range of over 1000km from a fully charged battery and petrol engine.

JAC claims that they have tuned the Hunter for Australia’s harsh conditions with over 100,000 km of localized testing.These include ling distance durability, towing heavy loads, hit weather, dirt roads and city and motorway driving.

There are two models available and the top spec includes standard features like:

• Front and rear differential locks (optional for Hunter Pro)
• Electronic adjustable and Heated front seats
• Five off road drive modes
• 360° panoramic view camera and a
• Rear 220V accessory socket

There is strong competition, with models like BYD Shark 6, Cannon Alpha PHEV, Foton Tunland, MG U9 and others.

One thing is for sure, Ute buyers in Australia have never had as much choice as now. They just need to make the right choice for their needs and not be lured by headline figures and low prices.

This is a Motoring Minute

Im Rob Fraser

Readers can find all the specifications HERE.

Readers can find more details about the JAC Hunter PHEV – HERE.

TO LISTEN TO THE JAC Hunter PHEV – RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

Radio Segments Motoring Minute

In today’s fast paced world, Listeners often want a quick update or a piece of quirky Automotive news. Listening to Motoring Minute provides that as well as the latest Automotive news and reviews.

Motoring Minute is heard around Australia every day on over 120 radio channels.

Motoring Minute has an average daily audience of over 550,000 listeners.

Listeners will find Motoring Minute syndicated through various news sites around Australia. Additionally on the Community Radio Network across Australia.

The post JAC Hunter PHEV Dual Cab Ute now available appeared first on Motoring Minute.

Driven by the need to meet the draconian NVES rules in Australia, a few brands are now offering PHEV Utes.

The JAC Hunter PHEV is based on the T9 Dual Cab Ute.

Powered by a  powerful plug-in hybrid petrol-electric engine. It  combines an efficient all-new 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. This has front and rear electric motors and  delivers 385kW of power and 1000Nm of torque.

On paper those figures are substantial. But recent history has shown us that in PHEVs that doesn’t always translate to real word driveability.

JAC is targeting an electric-only driving range of at least 100km* from Hunter’s state-of-the-art lithium-iron phosphate battery pack.

This will allow reasonable range for daily drives.

Also available is a Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) system. Allowing owners to power tools, appliances, and even provide emergency backup power from the vehicle’s battery.

As well as an extensive localised testing regime and suspension tuning, the JAC Hunter comes with front and rear differential locks alongside five off-road drive modes.

Inside there is a 10.4-inch digital touchscreen and infotainment system. With Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration. For the driver there is a fully digital 10.25-inch instrument cluster.

Reservations for the JAC Hunter PHEV are available from 5^th of May, with vehicles arriving in dealerships from mid-2026.

For the first 1000 orders there is a free home charger on delivery of their Hunter.

This is a Motoring Minute

Im Rob Fraser

Readers can find more details about the JAC Hunter PHEV  – HERE.

TO LISTEN TO THE JAC Hunter PHEV – RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

Radio Segments Motoring Minute

In today’s fast paced world, Listeners often want a quick update or a piece of quirky Automotive news. Listening to Motoring Minute provides that as well as the latest Automotive news and reviews.

Motoring Minute is heard around Australia every day on over 120 radio channels. 

Motoring Minute has an average daily audience of over 550,000 listeners. 

Listeners will find Motoring Minute syndicated through various news sites around Australia. Additionally on the Community Radio Network across Australia.

The post JAC Hunter PHEV Ute coming soon for 2026. appeared first on Motoring Minute.

Driven by consumer desire for a multi-purpose vehicle that can cross the boundaries between work, family, and recreation.

In fact, Utes have been amongst the top selling models for years. These include the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger, and Isuzu D-Max.

Up until the start of 2025, diesel was the main source of fuel. However, with the NVES legislation introduced by the Government, under the misguided belief that we need to reduce our CO2 emissions, manufacturers have started offering alternative technologies.

This NVES legislation will see the price of our favourite Utes increase over time, simply because of the penalties levied against manufacturers.

However, as a bonus, this year will see the introduction of more Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicles (MHEV), as well as some notable Plug IN Hybrid Vehicles (PHEV).

Due for release this year are the FOTON V7 and V9 MHEV, Ranger PHEV, LDV Terron 9 and JAC Hunter PHEV. And we have already seen the BYD Shark 6 PHEV earlier this year.

We mustn’t forget the traditional diesel Kia Tasman that is due mid-year.

This year it’s an absolute Ute bonanza,  with many contemporary brands bringing innovative technologies.

This is a Motoring Minute

I’m Rob Fraser

Readers can find more details about the Ute buyers– HERE

TO LISTEN TO THE Ute buyers  – RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

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Motoring Minute is heard around Australia every day on over 100 radio channels.  

Motoring Minute has an average daily audience of over 550,000 listeners. 

Listeners will find Motoring Minute syndicated through various news sites around Australia.

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