It’s the second time up to bat in the New Zealand market for China’s JAC Motors marque with the launch of its N Series light truck range offering both diesel and battery electric powertrains.

The new distributor is trading as JAC Motors New Zealand and is backed by NZ Automotive Limited (NZAL). The new company is a subsidiary of Colonial Motor Company which is also the majority shareholder in Southpac Trucks.

The first JAC models to go on sale in New Zealand from early 2024 will be the N60ev, N75ev and N90ev electric models and the Cummins powered N60 and N90 diesel models.

The badging reflects the 6.0t, 7.5t and 9.0t GVM ratings for the EV models in three wheelbase choices. A 107kWh battery pack provides what is described as having a 200km `real world’ driving range when loaded.

On the conventional diesel side of the model range there are 160hp 2.9-litre Cummins powered models in two wheelbase options and 170hp 4.0-litre Cummins versions in three wheelbase options. Six-speed manual and Allison automatic transmissions are available.

The initial launch sees the appointment of two sales dealerships, a mobile national fleet team, and a nationwide parts and service network.

JAC Motors was established in 1964 and currently employs 33,000 staff operating across 130 countries. Today they are one of the leading commercial vehicle brands in China, selling passenger and commercial vehicles to over 100 countries worldwide.

In China the JAC Motors model line-up also includes multiple passenger car and SUV models, utes, vans, buses and a heavy truck model with Cummins engine and ZF transmission components.

Local testing for the EV models was completed late last year and the Kiwi team behind JAC have spent a lot of time ensuring that the truck models are fit to support New Zealand businesses.

The EV truck has been successfully reaching a fully loaded real-world city range of 200kmin local conditions.

“We know the ranges completed through testing don’t always stack up in the real world, especially when it comes to trucks with so many variables like a box body and carrying heavy loads,” says JAC NZ General Manager Andrew Craw.

“Our team have been driving the trucks around the city fully loaded and we still haven’t managed to drain the battery in one day yet.”

The first JAC trucks were imported to New Zealand in 2011 by Sydney-based WMC Automotive.

The initial offering was the HFC truck range and sales volume reached a high of 27 units the following year. Each following year saw numbers in the single digits and only three JAC trucks have been registered in New Zealand since 2020.